


All Things Considered

by MajorMojo



Series: All things Considered [1]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Slow Burn, will add more tags as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajorMojo/pseuds/MajorMojo
Summary: ‘All things considered, it could always be worse.’ This mantra had always kept him level when he was younger and managed to do the same now. Although waking up in a hospital only to have more questions than answers wasn't ideal all he could do was wait for the morning.
Relationships: El Topo | Antonio/Le Chèvre | Jean-Paul
Series: All things Considered [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088621
Comments: 30
Kudos: 84





	1. All Things Considered, It Could be Worse

There were several things he could have noticed first. The darkness that swallowed him or the cold breeze passing over his face, but what had startled him most was that he couldn't open his eyes. It was a paralyzing dred that washed over him followed by the irrational fear that this feeling was permanent, but a part of him still remained calm letting himself think clearly. Taking a moment he focused on everything else around him trying to get a clue on where he was.

The heavy smell of disinfectant wafted through the air and the slight hum of something electrical buzzed somewhere off in the distance. He felt something draped over his body. He slowly clenched one hand, his fingers brushing across tightly woven fabric. The sensations around him were all unfamiliar and that realization dragged him fully out of unconsciousness. His heavy eyes opened and blinked trying to focus on anything in the dark room. 

Antonio’s head was splitting from the sudden stimulation and the room felt like it was spinning. Mustering up the strength he lifted his head a few inches off the pillow for a better look around. Between the straining of his body and lack of clarity he had almost thrown himself into a panic. The monitor next to him beeped at a faster rate as he continued to struggle sitting up. The clacking of heels filled the hallway quickly closing in on his room. 

Antonio wasn't sure why but an intense fear washed over him. Dred overtook him as his mind automatically screamed’ threat’. This paranoia was unfamiliar to him and his attempt to calm himself wasn't working. A figure appeared from the corner of his vision standing in the doorway. Round glasses reflected green off the dim street light. For a moment time stopped but his heart nearly beat out of his chest. As he took in more of the face he calmed down and released the tension that had taken over his body. He wasn't sure what had caused such an intense response but the tightly done up bun and unfamiliar features eased his mind. Taking in more of the room he could say for sure that he was in a hospital. Antonio took a moment to think about why he was there but couldn't remember much of anything. He at least knew who he was, which was a plus. His name was Antonio, he was in his twenties, and he was from a fishing village in Spain on the coast of Costa Brava. He opened his mouth to try to say something but his voice crackled and nothing came out. 

The nurse paid no mind to Antonio’s bewildered expression as she focused on the thin chart at the foot of his bed. She muttered to herself about missing files and gave a disappointed sigh. The nurse looked from him and back to the chart a few more times before the sound of a beeper went off. She gave him a reassuring smile and informed him that someone would be with him in the morning. With that she poured a glass of water and placed it on the nightstand, returning the chart back out of reach at the foot of the bed. Antonio tried to catch her attention, desperate to figure out what was going on, but she was already off somewhere down the hall. 

Feeling defeat wash over him, Antonio finally allowed gravity to pull his body back onto the pillow. He stared at the ceiling illuminated only by the dim glow of the streetlights through the window. The slow flickering of the streetlight somehow eased his mind. Antonio wasn't sure when but eventually he willed himself back to sleep.

‘All things considered, it could be worse.’ This mantra had always kept him level when he was younger and it managed to do the same now. Although waking up in a hospital only to have more questions than answers wasn't his version of ‘ideal’. He reassured himself that he would get the answers he was looking for in the morning.

He couldn't force his body to stay asleep for long but he was able to wake up in a calmer manner. Antonio finally managed to fully sit up and drank the water left at his bedside. It had been room temperature by then but it was pure relief on the back of his throat. His body still ached but it faded after he was finally able to sit up and have the blood flow circulate for the first time of what felt like ages. There wasn't much to do so he ended up spacing out listening to the sounds of the hospital. Non-stop clacking of the nurse's shoes echoed as she made her way around the halls for a few hours followed up occasionally by the sound of a keyboard typing away. If there was another nurse on duty he never saw them. It felt like an eternity before the sun came up. 

~~~

Tired footsteps echoed down the hall and past his room. Pausing the figure took a few steps back to peer inside. A guy in scrubs stared back at Antonio’s form in the dark room, their eyes made contact before he quickly retreated back down the hall. It was only a matter of moments before he had three people in his room. The lights were turned on and Antonio flinched at the sudden stimulation. A figure in a long white coat stepped up to where he had been lying. 

His expectations had been that the doctors would explain everything to him and he could go off from there. Unfortunately the doctor could only hand him a three page sheet that did little to explain anything. He looked to the doctor wondering if this was a joke.

The doctor along with a nurse sat in the room and explained his situation to him. 

He had been transferred over from another hospital, but his files had somehow been lost. When they tried to contact the previous Hospital they couldn't locate his information in the computers or on file. It was assumed that it had been deleted sometime during the transfer. Antonio had a hard time understanding how such negligence could've happened. All the hospital had to run off of was the summary listed on his transfer chart.

‘Hydrogen sulfide gas poisoning resulting in Coma.’ The transfer paper noted that he had been found in a cave but by who and when was unknown. Police couldn't find any report of the incident but chalked it up to friends dumping him off at the hospital after too many drinks or trespassing. That possibility couldn’t be ruled out but without the original medical report they couldn't confirm or exclude the scenario. 

Doctors had been assessing him for the past week to see what damage was caused to his body. There were no signs of tissue damage in the nose, throat or lungs and the blood tests came back normal. Even so his unconsciousness had made his current physicians worried about cognitive damage.

The whole scenario felt off in Antonio’s mind. The doctors had been hoping that when Antonio woke up that he’d be able to help them piece together the absent information. 

This was all explained to him as the doctors removed IVs and ran follow up tests determined to catch any signs of problems. He could do almost everything that was asked of him, give or take a few seconds from his sore body.

Every other hour he was asked if he could remember anything new. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite remember anything about himself from around the last few years. He was certain he had lived the last years out but his mind became vacant whenever he tried. It felt like an empty room, he could tell that there used to be something there but all that was left were the indents.

Some of the doctors were skeptical, but nothing in Antonio’s background pointed to anything nefarious. Antonio couldn't say if he had been in Spain or elsewhere and after some digging a money record couldn't be confirmed. Somehow he had managed to not leave a trace of himself for the past few years and the few instances where they thought they had a lead it was discovered that it was someone else who had stolen his identity. He was issued a new ID and the police said that they would look into it.

Some doctors would try to question him, either not believing or just not understanding how it could have happened.

'What had he been doing for work?'

~ He wasn't sure.

'Where had he been living?'

~ He didn't know.

“Did he know what cave he could have had the accident in?”

~ He couldn't think of any.

They even asked if there were any friends or family that may know what was going on.

~ He didn't have anyone.

The lack of answers on Antonio’s end led to frustration from some and pity from others. It was as if the last few years of his life hadn't occurred. Some doctors told him that it was possible some of his memories could return but if they didn't within the year it was highly unlikely they would ever come back.

~~~

Over the course of three days he was able to be checked out. Every test imaginable had been done and he still lacked any answers from the doctors. A day before his release the hospital lawyer introduced himself. Freezing in place his heart skipped a beat for just a moment. Antonio didnt know why but his appearance startled him. Something about a lanky man in a turtleneck and blazer just rubbed him the wrong way but his nerves settled when he took another look. The lawyer looked very nervous and timid like a rabbit ready to bolt. If Antonio had to guess he was fresh out of school and would probably be delivering bad news. It caught him off guard when the lawyer's opening line was “'a deal he couldn't refuse.” 

He could have his entire stay along with his checkups completely covered in exchange for legal immunity. There was probably more to it than just that but in his current situation he almost couldn't refuse. To refuse would be him covering the cost of all the stay and when it came to money, he had none. The longer Antonio looked over that details the more nervous the man sitting across from him got. The lawyer mindlessly tugged at his turtleneck and obsessively tapped his heel against the ground. After a bit more time Antonio humored the man and accepted but made sure to add in that the hospital was to contact him if they managed to find anything regarding the incident. 

All discomfort washed away as the lawyer smiled and guaranteed that if anything new came up it would be noted and sent. At the time Antonio didn't have a phone or address but the lawyer did give him his office card. 

“Contact me as soon as you can.”

As he made his way out he waved back to a few of the nurses who had come down to see him off. His friendly demeanor had come with some benefits after a few of the nurses pooled a bit of money together. It was enough for some new clothes, a bus ticket, and just enough pocket money for a few meals. One of the nurses had managed to get him into a shelter at least for the next week. He would be on his own after that. He was asked if he wanted to return to his hometown but he declined knowing there was nothing for him there.

'All things considered, it could be worse.' That's what he told himself. Antonio continued down the street with nothing but the clothes on his back and ticket clenched his hand. It wouldn't be the first time he was in this situation but he had the experience to know what to do. . .Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

Antonio’s time at the shelter helped him immensely. Within that time he was able to get a feel for the surrounding towns but he was still uncertain of what would be next. Most days he would be down by the dock taking up any job offered. Working as a hauler one day and a fish cleaner the next kept him busy and gave him enough money to get by. The guys at the docks liked him seeing as he already knew what he was doing but the jobs rarely lasted more than a day. He didn't mind as it kept money in his pocket and let him mingle with others. 

After talking to some of the dock workers he managed to find a boarding house not far from the ports but it was in a shady area. Most of the fishermen stayed on the ship rather than deal with the “choza”. 

Although a little deterred Antonio made his way to the bunk house. It was for the best that he didn't stand out so he would pay for the room and leave until late night/early morning. He never felt comfortable there at night and had on occasion found someone passed out on his cot. But still it beat sleeping out on the street and it wasn't much different from the shelter if one didn't count the health violations and fights.

Arguments were a regular thing during the day so sleep wouldn't come as easily. Instead at the end of the day Antonio could be found hanging in a little nook of a bar downtown. Unlike the other bars in the area that were clustered together and overflowing with tourists this one was hidden away. Most of the regulars were older people from the inner city along with a few of the dock workers. Antonio discovered the place while delivering fresh squid to the kitchen and quickly became a regular. The patrons joked around with him about being late for his delivery but later reassured him most people would get lost. That wasn't much of a surprise with the bar being tucked away between the industrial zone and fishing ports. Still it managed to keep itself afloat.

The atmosphere could be all over the place. Some nights he could walk in and be one of the only ones there and the next it would be filled with tourists who were live streaming the little hole in the wall they found. Antonio felt sorry for the bartenders and would offer to help move a keg or other things they were struggling with when it was obvious they were being overwhelmed. He preferred to spend his time there eating and having a few drinks on the roof with some of the other staff or regulars. The night air was a relief to his sour body and in that moment nothing else mattered. 

Some of the regulars would strike up conversations with him about all kinds of topics and Antonio would listen intently. From past experience he knew that sometimes people needed a willing ear to listen. Sometimes he would learn life lessons and truly feel for the others. It would be moments like this where he wished he could talk about his experiences but there was always something at the edge of his mind that told him ‘no’. Instead he told of his days spent working and funny stories of his mishaps. The littlest things could charm a person and a good sense of humor helped lighten up the room. 

It was by chance people figured out he was staying at the bunkhouse and would offer to let him crash on their couch for the night. He didn't really take anyone up at first but overtime he’d cave. It would be safer than the bunkhouse and he would be saving money. He felt like he couldn't thank them enough but he still felt uncomfortable accepting. He’d seen the kindness of others being exploited and was worried about becoming too dependent. 

~~~~ 

Two Months out of the hospital. It was hard to believe that barely anything had changed between now and then. It felt to him that an eternity had passed.

Antonio made sure that he only kept what he needed and traveled light after he found his items scattered across the boarding room he’d rented. It was sheer luck that they hadn't found his savings but that moment made him realize that something needed to change. Antonio set up his bank account that day and only kept enough money on him for food. He had to pay off part of the setup fee but he still had 90% of his saving intact. That night he avoided talking to anyone at the bar but his face must have shown the turmoil going on in his head. The regulars gave him his space. 

Antonio repeatedly tapped the pen against the table staring down at a list he wrote on the napkin. There wasn't much written down but the lack of sleep was getting to him. He was making a list or at least trying to. He felt a bit hopeless when it came to big decisions but nights at the ‘choza’ had worn him down. Antonio started to find his time around people becoming more of a drain and he knew that the best way to help himself was to get his own place. But now he was stuck on what that would all involve. 

He thumbed through a newspaper writing down prices for the surrounding apartments and different phone plans. Everything kept adding up and at his current rate he’d drain his savings just with activation fees. He needed to double his saving if he ever had a chance of making it work. Where did all his money go?

He stopped tapping his pen wondering just how much he had spent at the bar over the past weeks. It was easy to go out for meals when you didn't have a kitchen or sticky fingered bunk mates. It wasn't ideal but most things in life weren't. He made up his mind and decided the best course of action was to cut back and save up every euro he could and only spent what he absolutely had to. 

Antonio looked over at the menu on the table . He didn't get a chance to order anything that night. Standing up to take a look out at the street below he spaced out deeper into his thoughts. If he went to sleep early he would be able to start work sooner and maybe work throughout sunrise to sunset. Antonio left that bar without even saying goodbye as he returned to the bunk house.

‘It’s only for a few weeks maybe a few months at best. Just enough to get buy. I can rest when it's done.’ Come hell or high water Antonio would find sleep early that night. 

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last two chapters are to set up Antonio's situation. He has no memories of V.I.L.E. and hes going to be shook in the next few chapters. Please leave feedback for any reason but especially if you see any mistakes.
> 
> I may combined the first two chapters in a week or so after I release a few more chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

Although Antonio's clothes had dried out from the rain he still looked like a hot mess. Clothes disheveled and hair in disarray Antonio rubbed his hand over his face. His hand brushed against stubble and he struggled to remember if he had shaved that morning. What was supposed to be a 5 hour dock job turned into a 14 hour workday as everyone frantically tried to beat the incoming storm. The storm ended up hitting early and sent everyone scrambling with ropes and tarps trying to save everything they could. He came out relatively intact for the first wave of rain.

After one of the hardest work days of his life he decided to treat himself at the bar. Walking down the ways he noticed there was an increase of tourists. They were obviously making up for the time they must have been stuck inside as the street was swarmed with College students and police patrols. He tried to smooth out the wrinkles in his clothes before he went inside. Some of the regulars joked on how they thought he’d died and how it looked like he had dug his way out of a grave. One of the regulars offered him a seat at the bar before the rush, telling Antonio the first round would be on him. Antonio smiled sheepishly as he accepted the offer. He hadn't been to the bar coming close to two weeks but the people still greeted him like an old friend. Antonio had been worried that they wouldn't recognize him but that didn't seem to be an issue as he glanced over at the familiar faces of the sailors he had helped all morning. Slumping down in the seat he soaked in his respite from the day's activities and ordered his favorite dish.

~~~ Later that Night ~~~

Anyone living in the city could spot them. It was always around the tourist season when they would show up. Most of the time you could find them in groups. Influenced by alcohol or egged on by friends they would harass people or cause a ruckus. They would bounce ideas off one another until they were kicked out of the bar then move onto the next. In Antonio’s opinion the worst ones had to be the lone wolves. They could blend into crowds needing no one but themselves to become riled up. They may take on a few patrons or challenge the largest person in the bar. Unfortunately for Antonio that usually meant him. He may not have been the tallest but he would usually be the strongest in the room, his modesty and passive nature made him an easy target but he knew if it came down to it he could fold them in half and shove them in the bin. He wouldn't do that but it made him smile slightly knowing that he could. The last thing he needed right now was a criminal record

Most nights Antonio got along with tourists but there were times when things would get out of hand and the police would need to be called. His bulk was a deterrent most of the time but paired with his passive personality had led to some trouble. He would usually ignore it until they became bored and hopped to another bar. One of his favorite things to do was to join in and pretend that no one in the bar could understand what they were saying. It was a bit mean at times but was the perfect escape against troublesome foreigners or unwanted flirts.

The guy had come in clearly already drunk, slurring profanities at anyone looking his way. He was issued the silent treatment by some and ignored by the rest as they continued on with their drinks. Perhaps if the guy had been with a group Antonio would have seen the signs. Instead Antonio spaced out assuming that he was frustrated with losing his group. A slight buzz started to take over his mind signaling the alcohol's effect on his tired body. He wondered if he should call it early for the night but he was still waiting on his food. His drinking bliss shattered along with the pint glass as the drunk whipped it against the wall almost hitting the poor barista. 

One of the sailors began to confront him but jumped back as the drunk went at him. It wasn't obvious at first but as more and more people rushed away from him it soon became clear. The drunkard had pulled out a knife and looked like he was ready to use it. In just a second the situation went from 0 to 100. Before Antonio knew what he was doing he’d grabbed the man's arms. Thrashing back the drunk attempted to get back in control but yelped as Antonio's grip tightened causing him to drop the knife. Disarmed, the man kicked and screamed as he was dragged out into the street. 

After the guy attempted to throw a few kicks below the belt Antonio knocked out his legs and straddled him, not allowing for any more retaliation. One of the regulars waved over some patrolling officers as the man spit and cursed Antonio out. Antonio had worried at the time that he could have been in trouble. Here he was looking like a hot mess pinning a guy to the ground, but if he let go he was sure the idiot would try to throw another cheap shot. His mind raced on what to do. The last thing he needed was a battery charge on his record. 

The two officers approached telling Antonio to get off. He didn't resist and both of them were retained but not before the drunk kicked at the side of his head. His ears were ringing but all he could think of was that he should have protected the face. He couldn't remember where he’d heard it from but pushed it off as a movie quote. When the ringing stopped he noticed a few of the patrons attempting to defend him trying to explain the situation but slurring their words. For a moment Antonio wondered if they would throw out his stuff from the Choza if he was stuck in the drunk tank for the night.

The owner of the bar frantically came out and talked it over with the police clearing everything up. The police called for a car and took away the drunk and bagged the knife. As it turned out the guy had been flashing around the knife at other bars in the areas and the police had been looking for them. Antonio felt embarrassed as some of the patrons gawked at him. When the car showed up the officers were able to cut Antonio from the zip-tie cuffs and assured him that he wasn't in any trouble but that he should wait for police to arrive next time. He wasn't sure how much more he could take in a day but he took that scolding to heart. He didn't know why he had acted so recklessly but something about this just felt like second nature.

After everything was settled and the police drove off the patrons began to fill back into the bar. Antonio wanted to take a break from everything for the rest of the day and decided that he’d pay the tab and go. The owner approached him before he made his way back in and Antonio prepared for the worst, but instead received something completely unexpected. 

The owner joked with Antonio about how he was more effective than the police and went on a long winded story on how things used to be done. Antonio listened nervously wondering where the story was going. The owner looked at him before asking Antonio if he was available. The confusion in his eyes must have been obvious and the Owner elaborated. Antonio was shocked when he was offered a job as a bouncer. It wouldn't be anything permanent but it would still help him get his foot in the door working security. 

Antonio accepted wholeheartedly and followed the owner back in to fill out some papers. He was embarrassed to explain his full situation but the owner quipped back with how difficult it was for people to get jobs with technology. In fifteen minutes the owner had made a schedule on his ancient computer. The paper was still warm of the printer but he felt like he was holding a new chapter in his life. He half heartedly listened to the owners talk about ‘the good old days’ as he walked Antonio back to the bar. The owner may have been senile or just a little loony but he was more than willing to do any shift he was asking for.

~~~~

Antonio's jobs started with the first Bar, spreading to other bars and clubs on different days of the week. This worked out well for both his social life and his resume. The regulars would chat him up and offer to buy drinks for him on the clock in an attempt to tease him but he always handled it with a level head. When he came in to break up a dispute or escort drunks out back to their homes/hotel they wouldn't put up a fight after hearing about the incident a month back. He earned a bit of a reputation from that night but it all worked out to his advantage. His regular income had tripled and he was able to set up all his necessities within the first month.

Sitting down in a peaceful place by the sea Antonio leaned his head back and let his mind wander as his body accepted the long needed rest. When he felt truly drained he would always find himself coming to that spot looking out at the dock and water. It became a daily tradition for himself to take his break by the shoreline. Sometimes he would watch tourists wander off to the docks commenting on the lack of sand or hear others talking about their days and even occasionally help foreigners with directions. 

His new habit became a bit of an inside joke from the regulars at the bar. The dock workers also playfully harassed him when they were docking in and out. Sometimes they would try to startle him by blowing the horn and greeting him with the middle finger. It was all in jest but he had turned some heads when he flipped off the boats in return. He missed the workers at the docks so it was nice to come back to that spot. 

It was the spot he relaxed in after he finally managed to set up his bank account. It was the spot he was in when he was setting up his phone for the first time and where he filled out his apartment application. And finally it was the spot he was at when he got a call from a place he had put one of his applications into. He hadn't thought that his application would catch anyone's eye outside of the bars and clubs but to his surprise it had been accepted by a company.

The Location prided themselves on the next cutting edge features and even had a research lab. He would be lying if he said that he wouldn't miss his bouncer job and the people he worked with, but with the offer of benefits and not coming home smelling like cheap cigarettes and beer it wasn't hard to choose. For the first time it a while he felt the weight of his worries lift off his shoulders. He wouldn't have to worry about cut hours or rowdy patrons. He would be able to start growing his savings account and have steady hours. The past five months for Antonio felt like a blur but he had the feeling that things were about to change for himself.

He didn't realize how right he was. 

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this chapter early about 4 days ago but realised there were to many grammar errors so I removed it. This is the updated version. If you haven't re-read the first two chapter please do as I have changed and fixed some inconsistencies


	4. Chapter 4

Antonio completed all the basics of his training within the first two weeks but was still shadowed by one of the other guards there. The old man was close to retiring and was transferred over to his department just to watch. Watching wasn't quite what ended up happening as his ‘shadow’ fell asleep at the desk but still he was a very pleasant man.

The building itself wasn't all that impressive. An older brick building in the industrial area of town. Not too big but also not small by any means. Although the outside was kept in its traditional setup the inside had been renovated giving it a more modern layout. Parts of the building were used for testing and the other half for research. The security office was right by the entrance. When visitors came in they would need to come through the security checkpoint. Once inside one of the first stops would be down the hall and to the vault. It had once been part of the old building but was now repurposed as the main research lab. 

Most of the facility focused on prototypes that would be tested and then sent out to consumers, the most important prototypes all stayed in the vault. By walking past you couldn’t tell what they were working on but from the amount of attention it was getting he’d guess it was important. He was told that the research was on a need to know basis and all he needed to know was that it was for ‘the future of transportation’ and would ‘save the planet’. 

In his third week there were rumors and excited chatter coming from the lab. If he really wanted to he could have asked around but he doubted that he would get an straight forward answer. The old man said that the information would leak out soon and that the company was planning on doing a story for the national news. Antonio couldn't tell if the old man was joking but figured he’d just wait some more to find out.

~~~~

Just as the old man had predicted the higher ups began to plan a celebration for the breakthrough. There would be investors and reporters from all around Europe coming in for the big news. The amount of work he was putting in was tiresome but he was more than happy to go through all the Visitor badges for this event. Although he didn't know why most of them were allowed access to the building. He assumed that they were Higherup from other facilities. He wasn't envious of the tight pressed suit they were all sporting and counted himself lucky that he only had to wear his security button up and belt.

~~~

A few nights before the event Antonio was greeted by the ‘Suits’ along with some of the higher ups including his boss. He had been scheduled to work at the party after his shift but a last minute change was issued. The ‘Suits’ who had been coming and going all week would be taking over the security for the party. The higher ups seemed on edge but tried to keep their faces neutral as they told him this. Instead all of the guards could attend the party as V.I.P. guests. The old man had grumbled something about a waste of money when he found out they wouldn't be paid for their time. Antonio had been a bouncer at night clubs and other similar establishments but had not been to anything so extravagant. But still he wondered what this sudden change was all about.

After they left his Trainer briefed him about the rumors going around. Apparently someone called in an robbery attempt that would take place during the party. Because of this the security was now being taken over another organization. Later that day he pulled antonio aside pointing out that the new security was already in the building. He took a look as discreetly as possible but they just looked like office workers. If he was to be honest the best way to deter someone was to make your presence obvious. 

Antonio left it at that and followed the old man's lead. He was a bit uncomfortable having two of the suits looking over his shoulder for that day but he took it in stride showing what all the job entailed.

~~~

Everything to do with the prototype was then placed into a vault and was locked up days before the party. Management had been a bit put off by that but it seemed like a talk with the Suit’s boss had put the hesitation to rest. 

Attendance was optional at that point but it started right when he was just about to finish for the day and a few minutes couldn’t hurt. The old man said something about free drinks and that was enough to peak his interest. The suit looking over his and the old man's shoulders took his place in the guard station. He changed into a black button down and made his way into the room just in time to hear the news. Sneaking into the back of the room was easy as most people wanted to get a good angle for photos. 

The big announcement came when the owner revealed a working prototype for an engine that could process oil at a much slower rate without losing horsepower followed up with promising tests that showed its ability to run off environmentally friendly alternatives. The thing that set the design off from the rest is that it would work universally with most modern cars. The chattering in the room was drowned out by the shudders on the reporters cameras. The atmosphere in the room was lightened up as the party went on. His boss came up to the podium and began giving thanks out to the workers. 

All the official security guards had been given a generic ‘thank you’ bag along with personalised glasses to toast with. Because he was still in training they hadn't ordered him one. The excuse was that he was accidentally put under floor training instead of Security training in the computer system. The pay was the same so he didn't mind and the supervisor would correct it on his next paycheck. He sat in the back with the old man as all the other guards stood up and shared in with the drinks. The old man put the glass in the bag without so much as a sip of the offered wines. He said he was “too old for drinks” as he glanced at his watch. As the old man stretched he said his goodbyes heading off to home. 

Antonio sat around for maybe five minutes longer before he decided to head home as well. His intention to partake in drinks had fizzled out with all the excitement and it wasn’t as if he didn’t know where to have the best drinks later in the week. He just didn't realize earlier how tense the atmosphere would be knowing that someone may try to break in during the party. His eyes had made contact with at least eight suits just standing around the perimeter of the room. Who knew how many may be mingling with the guests. He figured he could pick up his stuff the next morning. All he really needed was his phone and wallet.

As he left the building he passed the vault. Three suits stood at attention unmoving but he could tell they were looking at him even behind their glasses. Antonio wished he had anything to hide from their gaze but he didn’t break his stride out to the security gate. There wasn't much the suits needed to do with the door closed and locked. He would bet that the door itself although old was worth more than what most people made in a year. Thick metal polish to perfection weighing more than a truck. If there was a thief that could get past that he’d love to meet them.

As he made his way home he kept thinking about how everything would be back to normal the next day and he could just continue like every other day after. For all he knew the Old man had been pulling his leg about a break in. 

Antonio passed the bar on his way home as he always did. He could hear loud conversations coming from the rooftop echoing down the alleyways. Tourist season was coming to its end but it still seemed to be bustling . Just this once he figured he could wait and eat the leftovers in his apartment. 

~~~

Two days later

~~~

He looked tired but still managed to hold onto his upbeat personality. It helped to offset his nerves. He kept trying to stand up straight but a shot of pain went down his shoulder throughout his arm. The sling may have been too tight or the shirt too small. It was hard to tell but he could worry about fixing that later. He needed to give his statement for what happened not even eight hours ago. 

People were scurrying down the hall cleaning away the debris after pictures had been taken for evidence. He had been walking past the Vault door on his way to the conference room. He could see that someone went through a lot of trouble to get through the door. The contents of the room was empty and he worried about what that would mean for his future. The tools used must have been professional . He wasn’t looking forward to explaining how someone managed to get all this done in such little time. 

Once in the room he was ushered to a chair sitting across from three people. He only recognizes the manager. The other two were wearing the same suits as the hired security guards from two days earlier. His manager cleared his throat before speaking up.

“Antonio we will need to speak English for our guests. Will that be an issue?” The manager had a tight lipped smile that was everything besides reassuring. 

“Yes-uh wait no.” He tripped over his words as he tried to keep his composure. “Yes I can speak English for them, it shouldn't be a problem.” He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. 

“Did you notice anything unusual the nights before the break in?” 

“No everything was normal.” He hadn't seen anything at the party that was out of the ordinary. He knew that nothing had happened that night and the security guards had taken off after they inspected the vault for any possible weak points. 

“And what of the night of the break in? What was the first sign that something was wrong?” One of the suits implored him to continue. Antonio could tell that they were on edge even behind their neutral expressions.

He took in a breath as he thought back where to start. 

~~~

One day earlier

~~~

That morning he received a frantic call from the company. He groggily picked up the phone and was snapped awake by the news. A part of himself wondered if someone had broken in after all but the situation was much more mundane. Almost all of the security guards had called out sick from what the doctors were saying was food poisoning. His boss seemed relieved to hear that Antonio had not gotten ill but the sentiment had less to do with his well being and more to do with his Shift. The old man had to be moved to the first shift after all of the other guards called in and management was scrambling to have the shifts covered.

Antonio didnt know why they couldn't just hire someone from a temp agency but the management insisted that it be people who were trained from there company. The best they could do was have The old man do the first 12hour shift and have Antonio do the second 12 hour shift, as they flew down some other guards from different facilities. It wasn't what he was expecting but he would be getting paid double.

~~~

Antonio came in around six pm and was greeted by the miserable expression on the old man's face. All Antonio had to do was look at him and he immediately got up and hurried to get ready to leave. Scrambling to his locker he relieved the old man who was muttering something about needing to get a drink. Antonio reminded the old man of his words the night before about being ‘too old for drinks’ but he brushed it off asking if he knew of a place. Antonio told him about his favorite bar a block away and without hesitation the old man scuttled out of the building in the direction. Antonio had to hold off laughter before the man had left the building.

As day turned into dusk he was able to keep up with everything around himself although his nerves had him on edge. No floor people were scheduled that day and all the office workers had left at four. No one else would be in the building but this made him more uneasy than relieved. Even if the old man hadn't been doing anything but sitting around the past few weeks it was nice knowing someone else could step in. Now that he was alone the feeling of unease crept in. 

He would have felt slightly better if he had been allowed anything for self defense. He took in a deep breath after psyching himself up for no good reason. He told himself that there were more patrols out tonight in case anything happened so there was no need to worry. He still ended up fidgeting in his seat.

For the first four hours of his shift it was business as usual. Even though he had worked the night shift before he hadn't done it without the old man by his side. He was still able to perform the duties but kept going over the list he was left to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Surprisingly the night went fast and another two hours went by. It must have been around 2am when things went off track

He was just starting to calm down, relieved that he was halfway through his shift when the power went out.

“Carajo!” he gasped before composing himself. He checked the connection to the radio to his belt. Nothing.

Out of all times this could have happened it had to be now. Following protocol he went down the corridor to check on the vault before he would go down to reconnect power. The only light he had was the flashlight that shined dimly. The creaking of the old industrial building was amplified and the lack of light started to get under his skin. He stopped to see if his phone was connected. A small victory washed over himself as it still could connect to the police. He didn't want to call anyone yet. The old man had warned him that the power could trip the breakers time to time. He figured that this was just one of those times.

He decided to make his check quick so he could turn the power back on. Placing his hand on the lever to the vault he gave it a good tug confirming it was still locked. Not even a herd of bulls could get in without the key. The few test tugs echoed around him only making him more uneasy. Satisfied the door wasn't going to budge he turned and made his way back down to the stairs to flip a few power breakers. 

He heard what sounded like an argument but it was muffled as though it was outside. It could have just been some drunks on their way home but he was put on edge with the entire situation. His flashlight was of no real use as it only illuminated two meters around him. The Place was too dark. When he tried to listen all he could he then was the pounding of his heart and panicked breaths. He could have sworn someone was watching him. It could have just been the creaking of an old building but he was on full alert.

“Oye, será mejor que salgas!” He shouted into the dark without response.

He made the decision to skip the other checks and reconnect the power. If no one was there that would be that but if he found someone it would be easiest in the light. He booked it across the room down to the corridor and down the stairs all the while his phone in hand with his finger ready to call emergency services.

His footsteps echoed in the enclosed hallway as he made his way to the rusted door that held his salvation from the dark. If he had been paying more attention to the echoing of footsteps he may have realized they were much faster than his own pace. He reached the door and peered inside. Before he could register that the footsteps hadn’t stopped when he did there was a firm impact in the center of his back.

Antonio found himself crashing into junk stored inside the breaker room with a stinging sensation shooting up his arm. He could vaguely make out a shape of someone slamming the door shut but he couldn't make it to the door before he heard something being wedged under the handle. 

“Hijo de perra!” He slammed his whole weight against the door but it barely budged. His heart was beating so fast he could swear he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. The flashlight had dimmed after hitting the floor but there was just enough light to see the power breaker. Rushing over to it he confidently flipped the switch only to have nothing happen. He kept flipping switches when his eyes glanced over to the power box to see that someone had snipped most of the wires. So many curses flowed past his lips as he took a closer look. There was nothing he could do to fix this problem but he could still call someone if he could get to his phone.

Besides being cracked the phone screen illuminated the dark better than the flashlight had. He frantically redialed emergency services but found that his phone was no longer connected. He took a few seconds but he was able to keep his composure. He focused on his surroundings as he rebooted his phone on the slight chance that it would connect. 

A horrid sound echoed throughout the facility. It sounded like the screeching of metal on metal. His blood ran cold as he realized that it was probably that exactly. The phone screen illuminated again with disappointing results. 

He was stuck in the basement with no service, no electricity and from the feel of it something was wrong with his shoulder. He tried ramming the door with his good shoulder but his efforts did very little. It wasn’t the latch holding the door shut but instead something wedged in front of it. He couldn’t loosen it by violently shaking it either. If he had a pry bar or anything he could use as a sturdy lever he may be able to but nothing of the sort could be found in the junk left in the room. He had broken two wooden mops and bent an aluminum broom trying. 

He had only managed to crack the door ever so slightly. He couldn't see so much but he did notice that the sound had come to a stop. He could hear yelling and talking. He pulled out his phone and noticed that he had one bar. His heart was caught in his throat as he pushed the phone up to the door before dialing. The phone made a static dial tone but connected. 

He could hear violent coughing followed by silence. Antonio couldn't figure out what was going on out there but he still managed to relay the situation to the operator. Banging could be heard a few minutes later and he was worried something had happened. 

~~~

He was stuck for another ten minutes listening to the sounds of multiple footsteps running across the floor above him. It took the officers another five minutes to unwedge the door to let him out. He had managed to embed the pipe into the door during his attempt to get out but repetitive kicks from the officers managed to bend it enough to come loose. Instead of the relief when the door opened all he could feel was shame. The adrenaline had slowed down and his arm had gone numb. He must have looked a mess to the officers stuck doing his job. Instead he was locked in a closet and had to call for help. 

The officers waited with him until the all clear was given. He hadn’t been able to walk past the vault on his way out but he could still smell something bitter that stung his lungs floating in the air. The chilled night air was a welcome to his body. The flashing lights surrounding the areas were being taped off. He was ushered into the back of an ambulance and told to relax.

Unsurprisingly his first stop was to the hospital after an EMT noted the discoloration from his shoulder to his elbow. The hospital wasn’t a welcomed sight but he complied and was checked out three hours later with a sling and some pain killers. He did see some familiar faces from his night staying there six months earlier. It was like Déjà vu. 

The police stopped by to ask him some questions and left only after he gave them his shirt and shoes as possible evidence. Another familiar face popped up from his visit six months back with a shirt for him. Instead of having an encouraging smile she looked at him with pity. He was tired of those looks.

The sun had just started to rise as he made his way home. He dragged himself out of the cruiser after dropping him off at home. He needed to crash. When he finally had a chance to breathe he absentmindedly reached for his phone only to see a message left by his job. He would need to come back in for a conference regarding the incident later that morning. The feeling of defeat washed over him. If he got home now he would have enough time for a shower and a change of clothes. 

~~~

Present

~~~

“So you did everything you possibly could but you never laid eyes on them.” The suit sat back knowing that he was a dead end. Antonio sheepishly leaned away in the chair. His boss sighed before sitting up straight

“I think that will be all for now Antonio. We will be evaluating your actions on that night and will get back to you later this week. For now you can return home.” Antonio looked at his boss's cold eyes worried that he had done something wrong. 

“So when should I come back into work?” His voice cracked as his throat felt dry.

“We will get back to you later this week.” He repeated himself standing up to usher Antonio out the door. “I need to continue the interview alone.”

Antonio left the room having the door closed behind him. He felt like he was going to be sick but he left the building anyway. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or the pain killers but he was so anxious.

~~~

“Do you believe that he may have had something to do with the break in sir?” the ACME agent asked the owner. 

“No, I don't think he could have been in two places at once. There was substantial damage all around by the vault. His clothes didn't have traces of the unknown residue used during the robbery. Whoever was out there had a physical altercation with someone else but they did prevent the vault from being cracked. 

“About that.” The other agent took a step forward. “Will you be moving the prototype back into this building?”

“No, this is our biggest project and we can't keep it in a location that would have been broken into if it wasn't for some vigilante.” He paused. “This is a small facility and it wouldn't be impossible to transfer employees to nearby facilities but for now it's best that the public doesn't know where we move it to.” The owner ran his fingers through his hair. “This project was supposed to draw this facility out of the red but we may need to move operations.”

“We understand your frustration, but would you mind if we finish this interview on a later date?” 

“Yes that is fine. Thank you for what you did at the party,” He opened the door “perhaps if you had stayed a few extra days-” he switched to Spanish as he began to close the door behind them.

“Hindsight is 20/20. If it hadn't happened last night it would have happened in the future.” the agent turned to the owner. “ Thank you for your time.” They swiftly made their way past the Vault and out to their unmarked vehicle. When both agents were in the car a blue hologram popped up grabbing their attention.

“Hello Agents. I heard everything and we can confirm that Carmen Sandiego was present during the robbery but we don’t believe she was the one who called in the tip earlier. Right now the only lead we have is the person who called it in beforehand. We couldn't find anything out as they used a public phone in an area without surveillance.” The Chief looked at the agents. “Carmen Sandiego may still be in Spain but we still have work to do. There has been suspicious activity at an art museum in Canada. I will be turning my attention to the operations there. For now return to the headquarters and keep your eyes peeled for our woman in red. “ The agents nodded heading to the next destination driving past Antonio as he made his way down the street.


	5. The Spanish Stakeout

~~~

Earlier on the roof

~~~

The night had crept over the horizon hours earlier. Without the sun the night air had steadily dropped. She was grateful for her coat that had kept the chill at bay. 

Carmen Sandiego had done similar missions to this and found herself easily passing the time with a trivia game against Player or the antics of her crew. Shadowson had been sent to Canada to retrieve and return a rare collection of books. From what Player relayed it seemed to be going well for her ex-teacher turned mentor. 

She had been staking out the building for the past few days but not as closely as she’d like. The building was swarming with people the night before. If her instincts were correct VILE would have to strike tonight. 

The original plan was to infiltrate the party the night before but someone raised a red flag and ACME had taken the defensive. She would be recognised right away if she tried her normal routine. Instead she spent the night a block away on the rooftop of a bar that surprisingly had decent food. Zack and Ivy joined her throughout the night with patatas bravas and calamares a la andaluza. Carmen ended up taking away the calamares after explaining that it wasn't onion rings but battered and deep-fried squid rings. Ivy finished them off just as the party was letting out. 

The party was a bust and she scolded herself for wasting the day without even so much as a speck of VILE. 

They had just started packing when Player chimed in with an update. A few hours after the party employees started calling in sick to the company. At first they had suspected food poisoning but slowly the pattern began to form. Only the security guards were affected. 

Player connected the dots when he traced back one of the deliveries from the night before. Personalized drink glasses were delivered by a non-existent company. When he tried tracing back the return address it led to an abandoned office that had VILE written all over it. It would assure that the security was out of the way without causing an epidemic. ACME had taken off after the party believing it to be a false alarm. As more and more call outs came in the next day they would take notice. ACME hadn't been able to come back right away but it looks like they had contacted the police to issue more patrols in the area. 

There was one area besides the rooftop that needed to be covered. Zack and Ivy stepped up their game and by either sheer will power or energy shots they ensured that they would get it done. It would also make for a good getaway point. The repetitive taps of Player’s keyboard clicked in her earpiece.

“Looks like there's only one guard in the building tonight but he's a newbie. They haven't even moved him to the official guard database. Fortunately they locked everything up before he came in so looks like you caught a break tonight.” Player yawned, as his poor sleep schedule started to catch up. “The only map I could find is one used for tours. Most of their Data must be on hard drives that cant be accessed by outside sources. If VILE wants the data they’re going to have to have someone physically there.” The sound of Player cracking open a can could be heard in the background of the static before he spoke up once again. “The company must really trust that Vault.” Player clicked through the files looking for anything interesting he may have missed.

“So it's a typical Vault. Override the electronics and they might be able to crack it.” Carmen snuck closer to one of the skylights careful not to cast her shadow in.

“Not quite. Think more like an old fashioned bank Vault. It's a manual turn that requires a code and two keys. They published some pictures of it restorated a few years ago. It's a good conversation piece but I'm not sure how well it’ll hold up to VILE. The whole building used to be used for storage for important documents before the digital age. It moved facilities when people switched to online archives. The current company put a lot of money into remodeling it. They kept the largest vault and expanded it into their research lab. Must be a really ‘safe’ place for research.” Player typed away with a self-satisfied grin at his own pun. 

“Har, har, very clever. I bet you were looking to ‘crack’ that joke all night.” Red shot back playfully.

“Well it looks like this project is their most important one yet. Get this, the prototype is being designed to fit in existing cars. It may not be completely oil free but it would cut down the average usage by 75%. They’re also designing a version to run completely clean. It's no electric supercar but it's definitely something that oil companies will fear.”

“I wonder if any of those companies belong to VILE? I wouldn't be surprised.” Carmen shrugged to herself. 

“Huh... it also looks like this place in particular isn't doing so well. The corporation is fine but this facility is way over budget. They must be gunning for this project to pull them out of the red, no pun intended this time.” Carmen rolled her eyes regardless.

A shadow creeped silently over the edge of the rooftop catching her eye. They used the rain gutter to balance as they fiddled with the window. All she could hear was a small crack before they slunk inside. In just a matter of seconds they were there and gone. She tapped the communicator in her ear to let Player know what was up. Before she could get a word out she was interrupted

“Hey Carmen, Zack and Ivy found a drainage system leading into the building. There’s a truck that I can't trace to another company and they said they saw someone heading inside with something big.” Player took a moment to catch his breath. “ I don't know about you but this has VILE written all over it.”

“Thank Zack and Ivy for me will you. Looks like they're coming in from the roof as well. I'm going to head in.” She slipped in the same way taking care to not make a sound.

“Give me a moment and I’ll send you the spot that Zack and Ivy will be waiting to rendezvous.” Player typed away and shortly after she heard a chime from her phone. Player hadn't been joking as she looked at the sorry excuse for a map. Hopefully that would drag down VILE’s plans as well. “Ok, Zack and Ivy will be out towards the back if you need them. Be careful Red.” Player’s voice started to break up as she entered the building. 

The old building jumbled the signal in her communicator so she turned it down. She took in her surroundings, noticing something off. Even when a building was empty you could usually hear the buzzing and hums from a generator. Glancing over at the Fire exit it finally clicked. Someone had disabled the power. The building had an exposed ceiling creating the perfect support as she scaled across the interior.

“ No sign of anyone so far-“ she stopped mid sentence as a figure made their way across the building to the vault. 

“Hey, what’s up Red. Do you see something?”

“Looks like VILE’s here.” She slunk closer for a better look. Even with how dark it was she saw the unmistakable bulk of El Topo. He approached the vault with a flashlight in hand. “The Mole is already at the vault. How much would you bet he’s looking for a way to tunnel in” 

“If he does that he’ll definitely get the guards attention. And if the power is out the guard may not be able to call for help. You might want to play this one by ear.”

“Wait if the mole is down below, where is the goat?” She had Shadowsan’s training to thank for her heightened senses. The high ground would have been preferred but she didn't have many other options. 

Holding her breath she lowered her body to drop down before using the force of her descent to swing back around into a more defensible position. Landing on her feet she managed to regain her balance quickly. Her hunch had been right, hiding among the shadows was her old classmate Le Chèvre. Even in the dark she could tell that he was surprised but quickly went into the defensive. She used her repositioning to her advantage and threw some quick jabs in his direction. Her intention was to push Le Chèvre into a corner where she could prevent him from calling for backup. El Topo seemed completely unaware of their presence as he gave the vault door a few good tugs.

Le Chèvre knew better than to be cornered and swung down to reposition himself. Unfortunately this drop was at the same time that Carmen attempted to sweep out his feet. The kick to his side wasn't meant to make contact but Le Chèvre barely managed to hold in a scream of pain as he struggled to hold onto the ceiling support. 

Carmen had just begun to hiss out one of the many questions that she had but was interrupted by Le Chèvre making a grab at her face. She had to step back a bit but was able to stay in a firm position uptop the supports. When her attention snapped back to Le Chèvre she could see him raising his hand away from one of the beams. She tensed but then he held a finger up to his mouth, shushing her.

“What! Don’t shush me.” She said as loudly as she could whisper. 

“Will you be quiet! Did you want them to know we’re here?!” Le Chèvre hissed. His voice barely managed to echo off the ceiling. 

“What?! You guys are the reason I’m here!” Caught off guard she gave him a bemused look before reaching for her hidden grapple Gun. The beam she had shifted her weight onto creaked under her. Both of them stayed completely still as the sound echoed throughout the facility.

“Oye, será mejor que salgas!” Both Carmen and Le Chèvre looked down at El Topo. His voice had been so serious that it caught both of them off guard. Carmen knew what he was saying. ‘You better get out.’ She wasn’t sure who he was referring to; he had not focused on any particular areas. 

She glanced back up to see if Le Chèvre was making any moves but he had already swung over to a lower beam leaving her behind. He could have been attempting to assist El Topo. When she looked back down at the area El Topo had been he was no longer there. Instead he was making a mad dash down to another room. 

Carmen couldn't figure out what had happened then she recalled that there was a security guard still somewhere in the building. The memory that had shattered her childhood replayed in her mind of Gray and the others on their first mission. ‘Leave no witnesses.’ She had yet to see any of her classmates cross the line when it came to the ultimate theft. She didn't want to believe that they could steal anyone's life for a mission and she wouldn't let them if she could help it.

Securing her grapple gun she leapt down leaving the goat behind. She wasn't going to let them get close enough to anyone and she definitely didn't want them to regroup. Her plan was to delay El Topo enough to figure out where he had sprinted off to, then deal with the Goat and Mole together. The issue that became prominent was that she didn't know the layout of the full building and the darkness wasn't helping. 

She stopped and caught her balance nearly tumbling down a set of stairs. This ended up giving him the advantage to slide past her. Le Chèvre had jumped down the entirety of the stairs and was quickly catching up to the Mole. She had jumped down after only for him to kick back at her, managing to land a solid blow. The wind had been knocked out of her and she needed to take a moment to regain herself. When she looked back the Goat was gone and she shot up determined to catch up. She pulled out her penlight just as she made her way around the corner. 

Carmen stopped dead in her tracks taking in the sight before her. She hadn't noticed earlier but El Topo wasn't wearing his VILE attire. Instead he was wearing a Gray short sleeve button up and his digging gauntlets were nowhere to be seen. Instead he sported what looked to be an old waki and an even older flashlight. El Topo had just opened the door and began to turn around confused. She witnessed Le Chèvre planting a firm kick into his back knocking the wind out of him and ending with a rough landing. It must have been painful as she heard metal and what not clattering to the ground along with Spanish cursing. Finishing off the unbelievable scene was Le Chèvre pulling out a metal rod from his Hoodie. What she at first assumed to be a crackle rod was instead a security bar that wedged the door firmly in place.

Carmen was very much stumped. Le Chèvre turned his head shooting an accusatory look toward her as he clicked on his own penlight. She realised Le Chèvre was also not in VILE attire just like El Topo. On one hand it could have just been so he would blend in with the tourist but her gut twisted at the other possible implication. 

When she tried to say something it was interrupted by Antonio ramming his body up against the door. She knew that was Antonio’s voice so there was no mistaking it. Le Chèvre didn't even flinch at the noise as he made sure the bar was firmly in place. 

The sound of shuffling could be heard coming from upstairs. She hadn't heard anything from Zack and Ivy so they should've still been outside. That set off the likely possibility of more VILE operatives upstairs. She wasn't even sure if there were VILE operatives downstairs with her. If she went up to deal with them she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't be attacked again. 

She decided to be prepared for the worst and headed upstairs to better assess what she may be up against. Perhaps it was pity for her ex-classmate or a strategic assessment but she glanced back at Le Chèvre. He hadn't moved, instead he’d shifted his attention back to the cursing, penlight in one hand as the other rested on the barred door.

~~~


	6. Chapter 6

Carmen dashed up the stairs returning her focus to the mission. She turned off her penlight to get the advantage only to see another shadowy figure outside of the vault door. A magnetic wuerl could be heard as the drill made contact to the hinge followed by a horrendous sound. The figure at the vault took a few steps back and brushed the metal shavings off of his coat. 

Dash Haber stood looking unimpressed with the progress. He adjusted the night vision glasses on his face as he focused on the Drill. There Was no point in hiding in the shadows with night vision. Carmen made her assessment and walked out into the opening. Dash may have been a VILE agent but he was far from a seasoned field agent.

“Oh good your back.” Sarcasm dripped from every word but it didn't have the level of disgust typical of Dash. I just finished setting it up no thanks to you-” Dash turned his attention to Carmen not expecting who he saw. He wasn't taken aback for long as his VILE training kicked in. Taking the defensive Dash threw his bowling hat. Within a second the blades came out gliding against the wall picking up speed. 

Carmen had dealt with the buzzcut before and knew how dangerous it could be in an enclosed space but that also came at a disadvantage for him. Dodging the first throw she made sure to pay attention to the Buzzcuts positioning. She knew that it could change directions with the flick of Dash’s wrist. 

“Dash Haber, I didn't know that Cleo was so eager to help the environment.” The words came automatically as she tried to calm herself. From what little she made out Dash was expecting another vile operative and this just made things more complicated. Perhaps Le Chèvre was who Dash was waiting for. She Hoped it wasn't the case but she needed to be prepared for anything.

“Well you could say we're a little understaffed but that shouldn't be an issue once I remove you from the agenda.” She had to slide out of the way as the BuzzCut returned rapidly in their direction. 

Dash wasn't a field agent and she used this to her advantage. Her tactic was to start zigzagging around to dodge the BuzzCut while advancing closer and closer. Just as she finished getting into the rhythm of things she pulled back. As predicted Dash had planned to cut her off once he thought he knew her next move. Dash kept his eyes focused on every one of Carmen’s moves. He allowed Carmen to get close enough confident that he knew where she would dodge the next attack but just as he looked at Carmen he noticed she had something in her hand. 

*CLICK*

She made sure Dash was close enough before turning on the penlight. The light was amplified by the night vision goggles causing Dash to rip them off his face in pain. He kept blinking trying to get his bearings on the situation. Carmen placed a solid kick onto his chest knocking the wind out of him. He staggered a bit but recalled the Buzz Cut back with the magnetic pulse devices built into his gloves. 

Immediately realizing his mistake he dodged out of the way not knowing where to catch it. The BuzzCut was embedded into the floor where Dash had just been. Carmen ran up to the vault looking for a way to disable the drill. 

A familiar crackling sound came out from behind her. Dash hadn't been fully disarmed. Turning she saw that Dash had pulled out a crackle-rod. It extended with an awful static snap showing her that it was at its highest setting. The light produced from the Crackle rod drained out all other light and colour giving the room a eary green hue. 

A Disruption from the stairway caught her attention and she managed to dodge out of the way as a lanky figure came sliding across the floor. Dash stopped his advance looking down in disgust.

“You’re late.” Dash looked down at the other operative pulling themselves off the ground.

“Uhhg-” The lanky figure made his way back to his feet. “Wasn't expecting the petting zoo to be in town.” Neal the Eel made his way up into a more defensible position not breaking eye contact with the figure approaching Carmen from behind. 

There was a moment as everyone seemed to get their bearings on the situation that arose. Carmen still wasn't sure in that moment if it was two against two or something else entirely. The moment was broken when Dash Haber thrust the crackle rod in Le Chèvre direction, missing him by mere inches. Figuring she could fight now and talk later she made an attempt at disarming Dash with a kick only to have Neal sweep out her leg causing her to lose her balance momentarily. She had to quickly slide back out of the way as Neal attacked. Neal didn't so much use weapons but would instead go after close physical attacks. It prevented him from being disarmed but it also left him open for other attacks.

Slithering and sliding out of the way of Carmen’s blows like child's play. He was cocky just as one hit landed he twisted himself and let it roll right off of himself barely grazing. Dropping to the ground he used his hands to propel his legs upward almost landing contact with her chin. 

Le Chèvre was having minimal difficulty with Dash. Dash wasn't an amateur by any means but it was obvious when it came to close combat Le Chèvre had him beat. Like Neal Le Chèvre excelled at close combat and preferred to keep his hands free. Being hands free allowed him to make a grab at the crackle rod getting a solid hold along with Dash. The sound of ringing filled the air after Le Chèvre used their momentum to force the crackle rod right into the drill. The sound that had been so constant whirled to a halt quickly with a screech. The drill had made it almost all the way through but still the door stayed strong and wouldn't be opening. Dash and Le Chèvre fell away from the crackle rod as it began to malfunction.

Carmen kept up the attacks but Neal wasn't taking a break. When Neal slid away from another or Carmen's kicks Le Chèvre took advantage and landed a solid kick to his back sending him sliding hard into the wall. Unfortunately this came at a cost. Dash had swung out one of the toolbars from the vault making contact with Le Chèvre’s leg. Le Chèvre went down and Dash grabbed for the crackle rod. When Dash tried pulling out the rod he fell back from a shock that jolted up his arm. Neal made eye contact with Dash giving him a shrug as he made his way back to his feet. 

“Welp, we need to head out now, mate. We’re out of time.” Neal said as he sprinted down one of the dark halls.

“Uh!” Dash started to take off with Neal towards another darkened hallway but stopped as he glanced back. grabbing his hat he smirked at Le Chèvre and glanced at Carmen. “A Goat and a Sheep? How original. I'm sure the faculty won't be so humored but really did you leave just so you could join her little zoo? That's just rich." Le Chèvre snarled attempting to stand up and take a step at him but falling when his ankle couldn't support his weight. 

“Don’t you have somewhere to slither off to?” Carmen spouted, struggling if she should help Le Chèvre or go after Dash and Neal. 

“This is all good and fun but we really need to wrap things up." Grabbing another device from up his sleeve he squeezed until a popping sound could be heard before it inflated and filled the room with bitter white gas. 

Carmen quickly dropped to the ground covering her face to avoid inhaling anything but she still managed to get enough to cause a coughing fit. Glancing over at Le Chèvre she could see that he wasn't doing much better. He had already been sent to the ground earlier but was able to move out of the way. She may not trust him but she needed to get him out of there. 

She grabbed Le Chèvre by the shirt and dragged him outside of the smoke cloud. The sound of sirens were approaching in the distance faster than she would have liked. It was only a matter of time before police showed up and Le Chèvre wasn't in any condition to escape. She decided the best course of action was to grab Le Chèvre and attempt to go through the fire exit. She couldn't clear her throat enough to connect to Player and didn't want to freak the kid out with unintelligible gasping. She could only hope that Zack and Ivy were at the designated spot. Le Chèvre struggled against her but couldn't get away. She wanted to tell him that she was helping him but neither could get out any response.

It was in that moment that she realized that she was going to have to explain why she had a VILE operative with her. It would give her the opportunity to question Jean for any information, but at the moment she was having trouble clearing her throat. Each attempt to talk only led to another coughing fit. They managed to escape through one of the fire exit doors. 

She wouldn't say that the mission was a failure but it definitely hadn't been her typical victory. However VILE knew better than to attempt a robbery under the noses of an active investigation. They had lost their chance and would have to back off once it was under permanent surveillance from ACME. Carmen knew that ACME would take full interest in this case just as they did with every caper she was involved in. 

Looking back at Jean-Paul she could tell his level of discomfort from their current situation. The familiar revving of an engine came from around the corner and Carmen looked up in time to see headlights. She could get answers later. For now she needed to disappear making way for ACME to clean up the mess.


	7. Chapter 7

Usually at the end of missions there would be time to sight see and explore. A mini vacation would recharge the gang before the next caper but the situation had changed. When it came to missions Carmen would sit back and try to think three steps ahead and map out all possible scenarios but she wasn't even sure what the scenario was this time. Le Chèvre was more or less a wild card that happened to play to her advantage this time, but she wasn’t foolish enough to jump in blindly. If her hunch was right then Antonio had probably met a similar fate to Gray, but it could just as well be a trap that vile was setting up. Things were not adding up and she wasn't in the situation to deduce the mystery. 

She wanted to ask what he thought he was doing in there but still couldn't get her throat to produce any sound. A quick glance at Jean showed that he was in the same boat. She would bet if he had been able to do anything besides gasp, he would be letting out expletives and spitting insulting remarks just as he usually would. A familiar white van screeched from around the corner coming to a halt right beside them.

Zach managed to drive up and pull over in front of them. The speed at which Ivy pulled open the side door was alarming. How the door didn't break off the hinges she’d never know. Carmen didn't think twice about throwing Le Chèvre into the van to the sibling’s surprise. Before Ivy could say anything Carmen just nodded and a reassuring way before they closed the door and set off once again. It seemed her radio silence had gotten the two worked up. She was thrown back into a coughing fit when she tried to thank them only to throw them into another round of hysteria. When she got her wits back she noticed that Ivy had Le Chèvre in a double arm lock

"Carm are you okay what did they do to you? If they throat punched you I’m gonna knock in their teeth." Ivy was concerned but refused to release Jean from her Iron grip.

"Hey Carmen, why is goat boy with you? Are we allowed to take prisoners now?" Zack left the car idle as he stuck his head through the window dividing the front and backseat.

"Zack just get us out of here. You can play good cop bad cop later" The Van made its way out of the alley way and down some of the surrounding roads.

"It's an honest question. We could always tie them up like he did to us back in the Boston Harbor." Ivy sighed reminding her brother that Carmen was the one who tied them up. Before their bickering went too far Ivy looked over to Carmen trying to see if she was ok. 

"We should probably kick him out before the Mole comes after him.” Ivy glanced out the window checking if they were being followed. Zack piped up in response to his sister.

“He might seem easy on the eyes but I know under that skin there’s a killer. It's always the ones you least suspect." Zack glanced back in the rear view mirror making sure that there wasn't any fighting. 

“ Yeah he seems more like the type to bury us alive so maybe drop the goat off down the road?” Ivy shifted herself so that she was sitting on top of Le Chèvre who was now pinned on his stomach. She didn't seem phased by the thrashing in retaliation from the goat. While the two siblings were getting lost in their conversation with each other Carmen looked over at Le Chèvre . At first she couldn't tell what Jean was doing but the frustrated glare followed by another hand signal finally made the situation click. 

Water. 

She was a bit surprised that he was using ASL but she understood the point and grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler tossing it his way. He managed to twist open the top with his teeth before taking a few drinks. Within a few coughs and some throat clearing Le Chèvre seemed to be back to his non mute self. It wasn't even a second before he added his voice into the cacophony of yelling alongside the siblings.

Unimpressed, Carmen proceeded to grab another water bottle gulping it down, clearing her throat. The burning and the numbness began to fade and she could take a breath without struggle. 

Rapidly the bitter numbness in her throat started to fade. It took her a moment to compose herself and then to amplify herself over the two siblings and Frenchman. The Boston duo had gained up on Le Chèvre after he made a backhanded comment on Ivy’s weight.

"She's not fat, she's more woman than you'll ever have." Zack looked like he was going to jump in the backseat to defend his sis but Carmen was more worried about the swerving van attracting attention.

“Zack! You don't have to say it like that besides I'm not heavy I’m muscular. I can deadlift 250."

"You can deadlift 250 but you couldn't even pull yourself up from that rocket.” The contempt in his voice rivaled the siblings.

“Sorry, Not when I had a green bean stick man hanging from my legs.’ Ivy purposely shifted her weight back onto the Frenchmen finding satisfaction in the wheeze he had to take in. “I will throw your green bean butt into the ocean. Don't think I’m letting you off easily.”

“You tell Him sis. Hey Carm! You want in on this?” Zack seemed more than content to egg his sister on.

Carmen took off her signature coat along with her hat. From the frantic beeping from her earpiece she guessed no one had replied to Player’s messages. Quickly tapping her earpiece she allowed it to reconnect to the frantic but relieved teen. 

“Carmen! Oh wow I thought we’d lost you for a moment. Zack and Ivy were taking longer than expected. Then they had to hide behind a corner because you hadn't come out.” Carmen listened to the teen as his anxiety slowly faded away. Player played a vital role in her crew dynamic and eagerly went along with capers in his own special way. “So what’s the scoop? Zack and Ivy were running behind after they did some snooping of their own.” Player was eager to hear the outcome whenever they’d finished a caper and now wasn't any different. Except it was.

“They were a little late but we got out just fine. Vile also turned tail after their plans failed. Probably too high of a risk.” Zack and Ivy were all hyped up in the background playfully criticising Le Chèvre. “Might need to cool down the roast they’re putting on.”

“You know those two. As stubborn as a goat sometimes but I don’t want to spoil the surprise you should ask them what they were doing.” Player was back to his cheerful tone. 

“Speaking of goats you’ll never guess who we picked up.” Carmen flashed her communicator to show Ivy sitting on top of VILE super climber Le Chèvre. Player must have been taking a drink as the sound of spluttering came out from her communicator. 

“You have some explaining to do but that can wait.” Player shuffled around trying to wipe up the sticky energy drink that had sprayed everywhere. “Looks like you're trying to get your bearing on the situation. Let me know later tonight though ok.” Carmen smiled at how easily Player could bounce back. He knew he’d got the scoop sooner or later. She switched her attention to the fiasco taking place not even four feet away. 

Le Chèvre turned his attention towards Carmen, barking at her to get the American girl off of him and how he couldn’t feel his shoulder. Zack chuckled and Ivy huffed almost leading to another roundabout of yelling.

” I know it's a heavy burden upon your shoulders.” Zach joked, wishing to get in on the action.

“Ivy would you mind-” Carmen stopped mid sentence. She was instead laser focused on Jean’s foot. She hadn't noticed it before but the foot wasn’t in socket. She was thankful that Player was busy cleaning up the spilt drink to notice. Ivy followed Carmen's gaze and laid her eyes on the foot.

“Huuuuuuuu-BOY! That’s just wrong.” Ivy winced upon seeing the ankle. “Carm no offense but I fix cars not people.”

“Get your hands off of me.” Jean-Paul thrashed when he felt Ivy trying to make a grab at his leg.

“I just don't want you moving around. We'll head at the hospital right now.” Carmen looked to see if she had Zack's attention. He nodded and put his turn signal on.

“NO! NO! No hospital! Use your head. The hospital would be the first place the police will search.” 

Carmen hesitated. Jean-Paul wasn't wrong, the hospital would be the first place the police and possibly the cleaners would check. She had been lucky when she went to the hospital. VILE had no idea that she would be there and even then her crew had moved her back to fully recover in San Diego. Dash and Neal knew that Jean was hurt so it would be best to assume that vile knew as well. VILE wasn't lenient on traitors. Ivy must have come to a similar conclusion. 

“Goat boy’s got a point, maybe we should just wait ‘till tomorrow. Not that it makes a difference for us.” Jean-Paul Glared at her having nothing to say, but the way his face was twitching She could tell that his adrenaline was wearing off which meant the pain was setting in.

Carmen took a moment. She didn't know much past the basic first aid that VILE had taut. She knew that they couldn't leave the foot in its current condition as it could lead to permanent damage. Taking in a breath she made her choice. 

“Ivy you’ve done this before right?” Carmen gleaned at Ivy who looked like a deer in the headlights.

“Uuuuuu-Yeah, I helped pop Zack's shoulder back in place during the racing circuit. How hard could a foot be?” Ivy didn't seem convincing at all and Jean could sense it.

“Wait! What do you think you’re doing.'' Jean's eyes widened and he began to struggle knowing what they had planned. 

“If we aren't stopping by the Hospital tonight then Ivy will reset your ankle right now. You’re still going to a hospital out of town tomorrow.” Carmen felt pity for Jean but she knew what had to be done

“Just give me a moment to think about-” Jean -Paul was interrupted by Ivy starting a countdown. Carmen knew what to expect but she doubted that Jean would appreciate it.

“Five, four three-”

*POP*

The noise that Jean let out was immediately followed by French swearing. Ivy let Jean go as he thrashed out before curling into a ball momentarily.

“YOU DID NOT COUNT TO ONE!” If looks could kill Ivy would be a goner but all things considered Jean wasn't in any position to retaliate. Ivy didn't seem to consider it as she watched the french man uncurl from his ball of pain.

“ Jeez, who knew that goats could bark? I always assume that they bleeped.” Zack teased as he turned off to the more isolated part of the coast.

“See I have the touch of an angel.” Ivy said Jean muttered something under his breath as he allowed his foot to lay back down on the ground. “That's a weird way for you to say thank you” Ivy poked playfully at him. 

Le Chèvre mumbled something insulting under his breath. 

Zach piped up. “Hey don't make me pull this van over.” A half empty water bottle was chucked in his general direction soaking a good part of the front. “Hey who gave him ammunition.” Zack complained as they made their way closer and closer to their hideout.

“Sorry Zach that one's on me.” Carmen gave him a sympathetic glance before returning her gaze back to their new guest. She might not have been able to make him talk but she knew how to make him listen.

Carmen sat adjacent to him signaling Ivy to back off a bit. Ivy shot Carmen a look before reluctantly obliged. Ivy may be protective but she trusted Carmans judgments. 

With the tension fading Jean sat up taking care not to put weight on his ankle. 

"Hey look Le Che. . . can I call you Jean?."

"No.” Was the curt response. It wasn’t much but she knew that Jean was at least listening. When it came to Jean the best approach was the direct approach. Jean was currently paying little mind as he discreetly tried to look at his ankle. The light in the van was insufficient and had him cursing at his bad luck.

“Okay well how does ‘goat boy’ sound then?” Carmen rolled her eyes at the sibling banter but let it go in. Even if Jean didn't like his crew he was becoming less tense around him. He probably didn't see them much of a threat.

“Don't pay attention to them. I'm going to talk and I want you to just listen.” Jean shifted her eyes over to her as he pressed his back against the metal frame of the van.

"I'm going to make an assumption on what I saw tonight." Jean-Paul looked away from the pity in her voice. “From what my insider was able to dig up, Antonio is working legitimately as a security guard and has been for over a month now. ” Jean refused to show any kind of emotion besides disdain. Carmen felt a mixture of pity and something bitter. They were both adults but she was the only one making an effort for him to open up. 

“But there's only one reason why VILE would drop Antonio off the radar.” Jean finally broke eye contact with her, tensing up at her words. At that point Zach and Ivy started to get the hint and the van filled with an awkward silence. It was a difficult conversation to have on top of how closed off Jean was. Jean may have been stubborn as a goat but he wasn't ever this closed off from others around him and it made her wonder what all had gone down behind the scenes.

“All right, it looks like you've got this so I'm just gonna sit up front okay.” Ivy made her way out of the tense situation falling into the front seats. The sibling shared a few words before music started playing muffling any other sound between the front and back seat. 

“ If I was to guess I would say El To- ... Antonio no longer has any memories of VILE. Or anyone associated with-” she was quickly cut off.

“Don't you dare act like you understand what's going on right now. You are not going to play mind games on me like them. You don't care about Antonio, you only want to know why I helped you.” Carmen tensed up but managed to portray a calm demeanor. She glared him down regardless before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“You think I don't know what you're going through? You know what they did to Gray?” She could tell that she caught the others attention. “Are you just going to pretend that that never happened?” Jean huffed, moving his body slightly away as if not wanting to acknowledge her presence. 

“That was different and you know it. It’s true that Gram's termination was unfortunate, but he was used as an example for what happens when a vile operative becomes a liability.”

Carmen spoke up. “I saw what happened to Gram, he lost all of his memories and even some of his personality. “ She didn’t want to review just how much she knew about Gram. 

“Not much of a personality to lose.” He could tell that comment had managed to get under her skin as she had to take a deep breath to compose herself once more. She didn’t want to reveal everything she knew. She wasn’t foolish enough to trust him entirely yet.

“Antonio was the only one here by pure chance but VILE was here for a mission. I know why they were there but why were you. Did you really think you could take out a VILE operation all by yourself?” Whatever tricks she learned about controlling body language must not have worked entirely on Jean. He took the class alongside her so it wasn’t a surprise. Carmen couldn’t help how tense the situation had become. 

Jean seemed uncomfortable with the tension as well and broke his stubborn silence.

“ I was there because ACME took off. And before you ask yes VILE knows about them.” Jean took a moment to let the information sink in. Carmen knew it was an attempt to change the subject but Jean had initiated it and had opened up ever so slightly. That's when the realization hit her.

“Wait, you’re the person who called it into the police?”

“I knew about some of VILE’s operations before I left. I also know enough to predict when and where they’ll strike.” Carmen was lost for words. His behaviors contradicted each other. Verbally he was the same stubborn Goat she'd known from his time in VILE but his actions seemed to indicate him as a possible ally. 

“So you took off right after they mind wiped El Topo.” The window connecting the driver section and the back seat slid open. Zack informed them that they were a minute from their destination. Carmen felt the smallest bit of satisfaction knowing that Jean left after what they did to Antonio. Her attention peaked back when Jean corrected her. 

“No. I didn’t .” 

Carmen tried to read his expressions but he had closed off to her. She couldn’t recall seeing Antonio for some time but she had seen Jean. With all the new and old operatives popping up, it hadn't even crossed her mind. Maybe she should ask Player to check up on that. 

“Why did you stay?” The words left her mouth without a second thought. Jean tensed and turned away. 

“You wouldn’t understand.” Jean’s voice was monotone as he closed himself off completely. She guessed that he didn't even know all the answers to the questions she wanted to ask.

It was obvious that Jean wasn’t going to make a decision that night and she left it at that. A beeping came from her headset. Player checked back in as the van drove over the familiar gravel road. Glancing back at Jean-Paul she noticed he'd turned completely away from her, finally placing all his attention on his ankle. It might not have been the most logical thing to do and she was sure that Shadowsan would object but she could see Jean making a good ally. It could help take stress off the operations and-

“We’re here! Grab your goodies and get inside cause I'm ready for bed.” The Van jerked to a stop as they arrived at their destination. Carmen glanced at Jean Hoping that her decision wouldn't come back to bite her.

~~~

Stepping out of the van Carmen made sure to leave the door open for Jean. Ivy and Zack emerged from the front seats eager to catch up on some sleep 

“So Player told me that you two left a little surprise for VILE.” She smirked knowing that she had the two’s attention. 

“Hahaha Yeah! VILE snuck in through a drainage catch for used oil. So right before we picked you guys up we reversed the sub pump they used to siphon out the oil.” Zack was giddy with the carnage they caused VILE. 

“Not enough to fill it but they'll be up to tits in that slurry.” Zack and Ivy high fived each other not minding the sound they were making in the late light air. Carmen glanced over to Jean as he carefully emerged from the back. He wasn’t putting any pressure on his leg. Carmen didn’t like the idea of him going without treatment but he was right. If he went now it would raise suspension and VILE may be staking out the surrounding hospital for them. 

“We have some spare rooms upstairs. Choose whichever one you want.” She paused looking back at Jean. He still held himself tall even on one leg. 

“Why would you rent out such a large house?” The comment was made mostly as a jab but Carmen was just happy that he wasn't closing himself off again.

“This is an early century Villa that held multiple families at one point in time. Now it’s used as a place for vacation, parties, and weddings. It’s not as large as some of the more modern structures but we like to think of it as a piece of History.” The way Carmen talked so passionately caught Jean off guard. She spoke of the place as one may speak of a loved one. Jean knew better, objects were nothing more than a fleeting commodity. 

Ivy pulled a duffle bag from the front seat and continued off what Carmen had said. “We kinda rent out places where each of us can get our own bathroom. It's complicated but hey you get your choice and all the other spare rooms.” Ivy playfully punched Jean's arm trying to break the tension. 

“Hey word of advice from one bro to another.” Zack leaned in conspiratorially. “One of those two snores like a bear and the other stole the blankets from two other rooms.” Jean leaned back from the American invading his personal space.

“So says the fridge raider! We can't even keep leftovers in the fridge overnight because someone inhales them like a hoover.” Ivy unlocked the side door holding it open for the others to enter.

“Ehhhhhh, It was probably a ghost.” 

“Yeah sure, a ghost that conveniently doesn't eat fish.”

“Yeah a ghost with good tastes.” As the siblings went on back and forth teasing each other Jean leaned against the van for support staring at the villa the redheaded trio were calling home.

“Do I get a choice?” The question was meant more as an indirect way to show his disdain but the American boy answered anyway.

“Sure thing buddy! Did you want the room down the hall or closest to the stairs?”

“No.” Jean spoke slowly and calmly as if trying to explain things to a child. “Do I get a choice of staying here or leaving?” 

“Oh! Nope not a chance with that leg.” Zack gave off a dumb smile and held the door open for there house guest. Ivy popped her head out from inside the villa.

“Oi! Do I need to carry you in. Move your butt.”

“Keep your hands to yourself American! I do not need assistance.” The siblings shrugged and raced upstairs before the other could use up all the hot water.

“Don't let their antics get to you. Think of them more as live entertainment. Who knows maybe they’ll become your new best friends.” Just like that she saw him shift back into being closed off. 

“I don’t need that right now.” It occurred to her that Jean could have taken that the wrong way. That slip of the tongue could have cost her some of the progress she had made but he didn't lash out. “I’ll bring up a bag of ice for your leg and don't forget tomorrow your going to a doctor then maybe we can talk about the future.” Jean turned ever so slightly to get a look at her from the corner of his eye. “Just sleep on it ok.” Carmen scurried off to the kitchen presumably to get him some Ice.

Jean placed a hand on the handrail. He knew that it was going to be a long night.

~~~

Dash Harber pulled himself up from the drainage system completely drenched in used oil and goodness knows what. The truck VILE had used started up alongside him. A smug face appeared as Neal rolled down the window. 

“Looks like you ended up in quite the ‘slippery situation’.” Neal’s grin split ear to ear at one of many puns he had up his sleeve the rest of the ride. The look that Dash shot his way did nothing to stop the copious amount of teasing he was going to get. 

“You want to know the most ironic part,” Dash threw his ruined jacket and hat into the back of the truck. “I'm soaked in oil but I'm still not as slimy as you.” With the end of that statement he slammed the car door hating that the remainder of his clothing was stuck to his skin. 

“Well you’re not the only one with a few battle scars. That goat kicks harder than you’d think.”

“You didn't even stick around for the fight. You just took off.”

“I know when I can't win a fight and the odds were against us. Besides it was due to circumstances outside of our control.

“Yeah but you weren’t the one stuck in the drainage pipe when it started to refill.

“I did try to warn you that we needed to go-” Neal dodged an oil soaked glove hurled in his direction. 

“All I need right now is a shower and some new clothes. I swear I’m going to have an aneurysm at this point.” Dash scrunched his nose removing his lapels, tie, and button down dropping all to the floor. He had the mind to burn them all later when Neal opened his aggravating mouth. 

“ There there. Don't you worry about a thing, everything's gonna be...‘oilright’. The second glove hit its mark.

~~~


	8. Chapter 8

Jean-Paul chose the room closest to the stairs. It was small but decently furnished, although a downgrade from the hotel he’d been camped out in. Hobbling around on his good leg he made sure to have a hand resting on the wall in case his leg gave out. His hand ended up placed on a wooden chair snapping him out of his sleep weary haze. Throughout all the chaos of the day he had almost forgotten his nightly ritual, the only difference being that he lost his door bar. He’d have to replace that when he was back in his hotel. The Chair was old but despite its age it felt solid enough to his liking. Jean dragged the chair over to the door getting ready to wedge it under when he was interrupted by a knock. Pausing for a moment Jean pushed the chair off to the side before cracking the door open.

It wasn’t much of a surprise that it was Carmen. Jean didn’t respond at first a bit annoyed at the intrusion. Carmen eagerly shoved something through the crack in the door. His weary mind didn’t process the movement as safe at first and he flinched. Carmen seemed a little put off but Jean brushed off her reaction.

“This is for your leg.” Jean grabbed the towel that was offered. Inside was a fresh bag of ice and a small bottle of aspirin. Jean accepted the bag eager to end things there for the night before Carmen interrupted. “How do you like your room?” The image of the awkward kid learning to be around others flashed in his mind. Jean could feel his headache coming back but the pain in his leg kept him grounded.

“It’s fine.” His answer was short and to the point as he peered out of the door.

“Well I know it’s no luxury penthouse or five star hotel but the place has character.” Carmen had a far off look as though she was just about to spout off some more facts on the place. Leave it to her to choose a place like this over the resort hotels.

“I preferred my hotel room.” Jean glanced away, content at ending the conversation there.

“I figured you would, but it’s nice just being away from it all. Like a vacation from your vacation.” Carmen looked past Jean, noticing the chair. It didn't take more than a second for her to understand what he was up to. “You don’t have to barricade yourself. We have a security system so you don’t need to worry about VILE here.”

“I always barricade the door. I know better than to trust a security system and so should you.” Jean wanted to say more but also wanted the conversation to be over. Carmen used to be a VILE agent and should’ve known that a simple security system couldn’t prevent a break in.

“So you’d rather be in your hotel room with VILE slinking around the corner.” Carmen always had a comeback ready at her disposal but she was fanning the flames of Jean's impatience.

“Yes actually I would.” Jean spat back in a snarky tone, not wanting to play the ‘one up’ game but also not wanting to back down. The look on Carmen’s face was a carbon copy of one that Sheena had given him. Taking a deep breath Jean elaborated. “I’m not as naïve as you seem to think. If it wasn’t for you I’d be halfway out of Spain.” It was a bit pathetic but throwing in verbal jabs made him feel in control. Unfortunately Carmen was just as capable as him.

“So you would have just run away?” Jean should have and could have closed the door in her face but he wasn’t the type to back down from an altercation.

“You were the one who ran away first, so you can keep your criticism to yourself. I was doing just fine before you and I’ll be fine after I get my stuff.”

“Woah, hold on there.” Carmen looked at Jean as though he’d lost his mind. “It’s not safe to go back there.” Carmen must have thought Jean was all bark and no bite but she figured he knew better than to go back to the hotel. A thought crossed her mind. Jean wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without his things. She sighed before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Look, we can't go back for your stuff. Just give me a list of everything that you had and we’ll replace it all for you.”

“So you can ‘what?’ Hold your favor over my head. I don’t need your permission or pity.” If Carmen hadn’t wedged her foot in the door Jean would have ended the conversation with that. Carmen was stronger than she looked and held the door in place until she had his full attention.

“Whatever you had can be replaced but I’m not willing to risk my Crew just for your stuff.” Her abrasiveness had Jean stepping back and Carmen got a hold of herself. She hadn’t meant for the words to come out that harsh but she meant what she said. “Just sleep on it ok. We can talk more about it tomorrow.” Pulling away her foot she expected the door to be slammed shut but instead it was closed calmly. As she made her way down the hall she could hear the sounds of a chair being wedged under the door knob. A part of her wanted to apologize but he wasn't making things easy. It wasn't a surprise. All of her former classmates held some kind of grievance against her and things weren't going to change in just a matter of hours.

Making her way down the hall she walked past Zack and Ivy’s rooms. Surprisingly neither one of them had come out of their rooms during the commotion. Carmen carefully closed the door to her room. Things seemed so tense but it really shouldn't have surprised her. Jean’s abrasive nature was equalized by Antonio’s benevolent behavior. Now with him gone Jean was almost unbearable.

A beeping from her red coat she’d thrown in her room earlier caught her attention. Digging through the pocket she grabbed her communicator and swiped to accept the call.

“Hey Red, what’s the sitch?” Carmen smiled at Player’s greeting. She could use the interruption to vent.

“It's nothing, I’m just a little tense.” Carmen flopped down onto the pile of blankets she’d hoarded from the other rooms.

“I don’t blame you. I’m not sure if I could sleep soundly with a VILE member in my house.” Player typed away on his keyboard before resuming his train of thought. “On the bright side it’s not like he could attack you guys in his condition.”

“No that’s not it. I think he’s the one who doesn’t trust us.” Carmen thought back to what he had said, but also how he said it. “He’s on the defensive and I can barely get anything out of him. I kinda feel sorry for him. He used to be so confident and headstrong.”

“And now he’s grumpy and headstrong?” They both gave out a bit of a snort and Just like that the tension broke. It was true, he wasn't the same as before but he still pushed forward.

“I don't know how to put it. I was tired and I snapped at him.” Carmen prided herself on her compassion, but nothing else had gotten through to him.

“You guys are probably both tired. It’s been a rollercoaster of a day. Just sleep on it. Who knows maybe after a good night's sleep we can figure out what to do with him.” Player’s words helped to reassure her.

“Thanks Player.”

“Well here’s some stats to keep you updated. No word from Shadowson but he’s still tailing the goods to the warehouse. The haberdash and eel slithered out of sight after they switched vehicles in a tunnel. I’m trying to narrow down their location now.” That wasn't a surprise they probably had a car waiting for them. VILE always did have the habit of slinking back into the recesses of the earth. “I also figured out which hotel goat-boy was staying in.” Player paused waiting for Carmen to go for the bait.

“Ok you have my attention.” She propped herself up on the bed looking into the communicator. Sure enough there was Jean-Paul on a security camera. To give him credit if it wasn’t for their history she may not have recognized him. He did everything he could to avoid the cameras without drawing attention. “Were you able to figure out what room he was staying in?”

“Top floor, but no cameras anywhere besides the lobby.”

“Is there any way you can remove the videos of him from their system?”

“I can try but VILE’s troll probably saved a backup of all the footage on his system. It wouldn't matter, but if you were looking on heading out anywhere I can assure that you won’t show up on any of their cameras.”

“Thanks player. You’re always giving 110%.” Carmen paused in her train of thought as she brushed the debris off her hat. “Hey would you mind doing me one more favor.”

“Sure thing. How can I help you Red?”

\------

Even in the dark it was hard for Jean to find sleep. The smallest of movements would send a spike of pain shooting up his leg and his clothes stuck to his skin. It didn't matter much. He couldn't say he had a good night's rest for the past six months, but this had to be one of his worst nights. The aspirin did little for his leg and he couldn't keep his eyes shut for more than 8 minutes.

Jean laid back momentarily regretting not taking Carmen up on her offer to go to a hospital, but he knew that the police were going to be on the lookout. There were probably police checks all over the place by now. It wasn’t just the police that had him squirming. This had been the first time he’d had contact with VILE sense he defected and they knew he was injured. They were probably checking the hospitals as well. The idea of the Cleaners showing up in one of his most vulnerable states made his skin crawl. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t feel vulnerable in the presence of Carmen and crew.

Jean only knew what VILE knew about Carmen and that wasn't much. Carmen had intel on most locations and a hacker at the least. There were also allegations that she worked for ACME. Everything was muddled up and Jean couldn't figure out what was true or not. Admittedly he wasn't prepared to go up against VILE yet but he wasn't willing to risk Antonio being caught in the crossfire.

Every time he tried to close his eyes his mind went over everything he did wrong that night. Taking in a deep breath Jean-Paul tried pushing all of his feelings to the back of his mind. He was alone now and he shouldn’t work himself up into a frenzy.

Carmen wasn't to blame when it came down to his actions but it brought temporary relief to push the blame onto others. Knowingly or not she'd gotten close to peeling away his defenses and Jean wasn't at all ready. The idea of someone pushing him back into a corner and forcing him to reveal his emotions filled him with absolute dread. This was one of those moments where he couldn't run away or fully lash out to get people to back off.

He wouldn't have been in this situation if it wasn’t for VILE.

~~~~  
6 months earlier, Scotland Vile headquarters.  
~~~~

It started with denial.

The Faculty wouldn’t do it and it was just a cruel rumor. Something that was held over their heads to keep them in line. Antonio was worth more to Vile than the new rift rafts they were dredging up from who knows where. Hell, El Topo was more capable than some of the older VILE agents. But something about the uneasy glances in his directions had him worried. Before he could process it Sheena was there dragging Jean away from the others to a secluded part of the barracks.

That's when anger began to set in.

Sheena had brought him to her room right before he lashed out. She’d locked them together in that room making sure they couldn’t get out. At the time he switched between wanting to rip apart the facility or beg for leniency but Sheena stood strong and was able to keep him locked up with her. Looking back at it he knew that she wasn’t doing it maliciously but at the time he only saw red. She was the reason Jean couldn’t race to Antonio’s side and plead his case. He couldn’t remember everything he said in that moment of anger but he could tell that he’d hurt her. Sheena didn’t back down from her stance even when threatened.

That's when Jean went straight into bargaining. If she let him out he could change their mind. Surely the faculty were making a mistake and could be persuaded. Jean begged and offered Sheena anything she wanted no matter what. If she asked he’d do it. Just when he thought he’d convinced her she made a face of pure absolute pity. The look was foreign and showed a vulnerability he hadn't seen before. Leaning against the door she looked away from him.

Seizing his moment Jean lunged attempting to grab the key from her, but his hands were shaking and his moment was over. Jean fumbled and Sheena was able to take control again. The scuffle was quick but still intense, ending with bruises and scratch marks. How she didn’t break a nail outside of her VILE issues uniform he wouldn’t know. Perhaps it was because she wasn’t going all out. Her movements were almost passive as she made a grab for his arm, wrenching his body to the ground so hard his teeth chattered. With the wind knocked out of him she dove to hold him in place. Jean wasn’t in the right state of mind and was pinned to the ground on his stomach, arms twisted in a way that left no room for retaliation.

There was nothing but silence for what felt like ages but as suddenly as it started Sheena let him go. Jean had strategized a new way to get the key when she dropped a bombshell.

“He’s already gone.” There wasn't a hint of deception in her voice but he wasn't worried about her lying. Jean couldn't believe that she had kept this from him but his anger was being overwhelmed by the confession.

“What do you mean?” Jean grabbed her by the shoulders trying to make her look into his eyes. If this was a distraction so the faculty could-

“I saw him.” Jeans train of thought stopped. All he could imagine was Sheena standing at attention with arms crossed as they strapped Antonio down. Did she even try to help their friend?

“WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THEM!” Jean gripped her shoulders tightly slamming her against the door. She reciprocated with a solid kick in his chest, throwing him back into one of her shelves, sending miscellaneous trinkets scattering to the floor.

“I DIDN'T KNOW!” Sheena’s face was twisted into rage at the accusation but then fell to a solemn expression. “I wasn't there when it happened. He was being loaded onto the transport rig. He’d already had his mind wiped when I saw him. That's when I came to find you.” Jean didn't want to believe what he was hearing.

Antonio was gone. Everything that made him El Topo had been stripped away and he was already being shipped back to Spain. Jean felt a complete rush of adrenaline trying to frantically figure out a plan or a scenario where he could stop this nightmare. His chest felt tight and he thought he might vomit. He didn't cry though, he wouldn't let himself fall that deep.

Sheena had tried to reason with him. She’d stopped him from making a scene in front of others and was coaching him on what to do but all the energy was sucked out of him.

“Get out.” Jean was trembling but he couldn't tell if it was anger or distress. He sat down worried that his legs would give out with how much they were shaking. Sheena made an attempt at reassuring him but Jean just couldn’t take it. “GET OUT!”

Looking back at it Jean had no right to kick Sheena out of her own dorm but he wanted to be alone in that moment. She left without another word, glancing back at him only once. There on her face was that foreign look of pity before she closed the door. Jean spent the time trying to put his composure back together. Like Hell he’d let anyone see him as he fell apart. He hadn't cried since he was a child and he wouldn't let himself break down now. Anxious pacing and deep breaths helped bring him back to a semi-passive state, but his thoughts remained. Jean hadn't been prepared for a situation like this. Deep down he knew it was a possibility but he could never prepare himself for the real thing. All he wanted to do was be alone in his own space away from prying eyes.

Jean finally opened the door and looked out into the hallway, but Sheena was nowhere to be seen. If he was to head to his room he may as well do it now before anyone came by.

It felt unreal. Something that had once felt so permanent and true was gone.

So many emotions had taken hold of him in such a short amount of time. It was like he was feeling everything but he was also numb. Every breath he took left him feeling like he was choking. Jean couldn’t force himself to pay attention as he made his way down the halls to his shared room. The door wasn't locked and panic pushed it way to the forefront of his mind.

Everything of Antonio’s was gone. Jean did a double take but sure enough the Cleaners had removed all of Antonio’s belongings leaving nothing but the cot and a fresh set of sheets. Jean opened the closet checking to see if anything had been overlooked but nothing was there, not even the hangers. Just a vacant spot left behind.

With Antonio decommissioned there was no reason for VILE to keep his stuff. If Jean remembered correctly that meant they were going to get rid of the evidence and there was only one place that could do that here. They couldn't have done this too long ago and he hoped that he wasn't too late.

Jean didn't even think as he took off down the corridor. The lighting of the brick walls had an eerie green tone that became overwhelming. There didn't seem to be anyone out and about at this time as Jean slipped unseen but the echoing of his own footsteps put him on edge. Most agents were away on missions or in other hideouts but a good chunk somewhere in the base. But the people he feared most had to be the Cleaners. Jean still made sure to approach the room with caution, counting himself lucky that he hadn't run into anyone. What he was doing was reckless and he truly wouldn't have any excuse for himself if caught. The rush he felt at the time was nearly identical to that he’d felt on high stake missions.

The room was isolated and dimly lit but Jean knew he was in the right place. Lined across the wall were old laundry carts that the cleaners used to transport everything to be disposed of. The ceiling was scattered with rusted chains and piping that looked as though they'd fall apart at the slightest touch. Walking past the carts he noticed they had already been empty. There was no other place they would have moved it except...

Taking in a deep breath Jean approached the incinerator. He cautiously placed his hand close to the door feeling a rush of relief that it was still cold. Shaky hands managed to firmly grasp the hatch wrenching it open. The scent of soot filled the room and he had to fight not to cough at the bitter intrusion. Stepping closer for a better look Jean strained his eyes trying to make out what was inside.

For the first time sense this nightmare started he felt a rush of relief. Antonio’s stuff was scattered on top of the piles of trash unscarred from the flames. He didn't even care about the soot getting on his clothes or the rotten smell of sulfur. Putting his arm into the furnace he started routing around to get a better look. Most of it were Antonio’s sketches of tunnels he’d make before missions and books leftover from when they were students. Pushing them aside Jean went deeper until he saw Antonio’s sheets and clothes.

Jean’s hands were trembling, he wanted nothing more than to take all of Antonio’s things and put them back where they belonged, but he knew better. Antonio’s stuff was removed due to protocol. If the Cleaners found it missing they would report it. Whatever the Faculty ordered would be done, but if no one knew then no one would go looking. That was what Jean hoped anyway. With a heavy heart Jean resigned himself to taking only a few mementos. Just something to prove that Antonio was once there.

Admittedly Antonio never really kept many personal things. He had always been one to enjoy things when he had it and openly lived in the moment. If he was being honest, Jean had found it strange how Antonio could be so chipper even after failing a mission but now he was thankful for those moments. Jean flipped over some books and pushed aside some clothing before his eyes were drawn to something. A keychain Jean had found for him on their first solo mission and a necklace he’d given him for his birthday. Both of these items had been on El Topo’s person when he last saw him.

Anger was building up in him but he had to push on. That's when his hand brushed against something hard at the bottom. It took a moment to make sense of what he was holding but then it clicked. One of Antonio’s tunneling gauntlets was in his hand and with some more digging he was able to pull out the other.

He clung to them like a lifeline. They were cold but still had rubble wedged in the joints from their last mission. His hand brushed away the soot from its short time in the incinerator. He was so close to losing something so precious and they had just thrown them away. Anger weld up inside of him at the thought of them just tossing them out like trash.

For the first time he fully understood what it meant to be VILE.

VILE agents were nothing more than a commodity. Something that could be thrown away and replaced at will. No matter who you were or what successes you had, they could throw you out without batting an eye. He came face to face of what could and would happen to anyone who crossed the line earlier with Crackle, but it seemed like something that only happened with others. Now El Topo was gone and Jean could be next. If he was caught right now would they put him on probation or take away his memories as well. The items in his hands held precious memories of his past that no one besides Jean would understand. Every scrape and dent in the gloves told a story, even the worn out keychain was present during some of their greatest capers together. If Jean-Paul lost his memories then El Topo would truly be lost and these things would be meaningless.

The sound of footsteps snatched his attention away from his scavenging. Jean scrambled away behind the laundry carts leaving the iron door half open. He would have felt safer from a higher vantage point but didn't have the time. He cursed at his predicament, had he been on a mission he would have scouted out an escape route. Instead he had to settle with staying put and waiting it out. It was far from ideal and left him vulnerable, but if he stayed put they shouldn't notice.

The cleaners never seemed more menacing than in that moment. His mind was running a mile a minute wondering if the Cleaners would notice something off. His heart was pounding so hard he worried that they would hear and know someone was there. Jean wasn't going to take the chance of peeking around the corner but strained his ears trying to make out the sounds around him. The squeaky wheel of one of the old laundry carts was approaching the incinerator. The iron door was opened all the way with a loud groan that reverberated across the whole room. He instinctively clutched tighter to his treasures but fumbled the keychain.

*clink*

All sound stopped for a moment and Jean could imagine the cleaners looking in his direction.

He had to think fast as the sounds of footsteps approached closer and closer. He wedged himself as far back behind the carts as possible. This was it, he’d made a gamble and lost. His body went cold in anticipation of his impending doom.

Something scrambled away from the corner Jean had wedged himself in. If it wasn't for the fear racking his body he may have jumped away, instead a sizable rat ran out in front of the cleaners. He almost gagged at the sight but held his breath.

“Krysa. I thought we got them all.” The rat scurried over to the other side of the room before letting out a final squeak. The sounds of a mouse trap echoed through the room.

“Well that's convenient.” Jean could just make out Boris picking up the rat by its tail before shuffling back to the incinerator. “Hopefully that is the last. Cobblestone is already hard to sweep without vermin.”

Jean could hear them sliding more things into the furnace. Boris and Vlad spoke of nothing of importance as they closed the door and started up the incinerator. Jean’s mind was divided by his emotions. The feeling of loss and relief filled him. He had lost so much today but he was also relieved that he could save something from the inferno. The crackling pop reminded him of what he had lost that day. All of Antonio's books and sketches, every piece of clothing and his dear friend himself. They weren't coming back and Jean wasn't ready.

The Cleaners didn't stick around for long, ambling away to who knows where as the crackling from the incinerator continued to echo in the room.

For the longest time Jean did nothing, worried that the Cleaners would come back or someone would see him. So much had happened and his mind was running a mile a minute. But the longer he stayed the more he soaked in the smell of smoke and sulfur. The smell was unbearable. Risking a glance Jean peered around the corner of his hiding spot. Satisfied, he’d securely held onto his stolen goods.

The tunneling gauntlets were bulky and would draw unwanted attention if he wasn't careful. There wasn't anything in the room that he could hide them in. He‘d just have to take the chance.

The halls swallowed up the artificial light that had been recently installed. Even with the renovations the lights flickered with every strong gust of wind or clap of thunder. This place was not the tropical paradise they’d grown so accustomed to. It was cold and bitter, a much more accurate representation of VILE.

Jean made sure not to dash to his room. He didn't want to risk catching up to the cleaners or running straight into anyone else. He’d calmed considerably by the time that he’d snuck back to his room. The satisfaction of slipping in and out without notice helped him feel slightly better, but that rush was short lived as he paused outside his room.

Jean-Paul could imagine opening the door to the worried expression on his dear friend's face. Antonio would probably scold him half heartedly before offering his assistance in the future. He would place one of his hands onto his shoulder, telling Jean he was glad he was safe. But the image fell apart when he opened his eyes once more. Jean placed his hand against the door. In that moment it felt like the only thing separating them was just a door, but that was nothing more than a dream. He needed to get out of the hall, every second he spent out there increased his chance of being caught.

The last thing he expected was to see Sheena sitting, waiting for him. He didn't anticipate anyone showing up in his room but he really shouldn't have been surprised. Sheena seemed to want to talk some more now that he’d calm down but her focus was fixated on something else entirely. There wasn’t any way for him to hide what he had and she knew right away what he’d just done. Jean closed the door, wanting the upcoming conversation to only be between the two of them. Perhaps he could bribe her into not telling anyone.

“Did you steal that!” She seemed more shocked than angry. In a way this was a smite against the Faculties policies. Jean didn't want to deal with her now that he’d calm down, but he knew that he wasn't going to be able to evade this.

“We are thieves, don't act like you've never stolen something. Besides if they really wanted to keep it they shouldn't have thrown it in the trash.” No one was going to take away his small victory, not after everything that went wrong that day. Sheena took in a deep breath collecting her composure.

“I…” She stopped mid sentence as she thought over what she wanted to say. “Look I get it. I’m not a snitch but if the Faculty finds out-”

“How would they find out?” Jean cut her off mid sentence. He hadn’t gone down there with a solid plan but he couldn’t just leave them behind. Sheena’s criticism wasn’t welcomed but she still pushed the subject.

“That’s VILE issued tech you dug out of the trash. What if someone goes snooping through your room?” Shenna was almost back to her normal self now that Jean wasn’t having a meltdown.

“Like you are?” Jean was back on the defensive. He knew that it wasn't the smartest course he could've taken but what's done is done.

“Look. Where can you hide something like that?” Jean slipped the necklace on himself and slid the keychain in his pocket. She gave an unimpressed look as she eyed the gauntlets. ”Fine, what about the gloves? Are you gonna try shoving them in mittens or something?” She had a point and Jean hated it. Hiding smaller items was pretty easy but larger ones could be nearly impossible in this place.

“I can hide them in the vent.”

“What is this? Amature hour? This is a hideout full of thieves. That's the first place they check for valuables.” It was true. There wasn’t much he could do about sticky fingered bacemates and he didn’t have the skills or resources to carve out part of the wall. A safe was also out of the question. It wouldn't be more obvious that he was hiding something in a safe. That’s when the idea struck him. It might not be the best but it would deter most people. Jean walked over to his closet as Sheena watched.

“If you lock up your items in a safe here what happens?”

“Uh duh. Someone would crack it open and take what's inside.”

“Yes. They would go straight for the safe, but what if they were hidden inside something worthless to them?” Jean pulled out an old duffle that had seen better days. It was one of the few things that Jean had kept when he first joined VILE.

“That's neat and all but if someone tries to lift that they’re going to know there's something inside.” She was speaking the truth but Jean wished she’d give him some slack.

“Fine I get it, but it's all I've got!” He tossed the bag onto his bed, setting the gauntlets next to it. This had been the worst day of his life and Sheena seemed to just rub salt in the wound.

“Look your secrets safe with me but if you're caught don't go pointing fingers.” Jean didn’t make a move to insert himself into the conversation again. Sheena knew that she’d overstayed her welcome but didn’t seem willing to leave. She mumbled something under her breath but it didn’t sound rude or condescending. Jean’s interest peaked back up. Her ice blue eyes met his, but she didn’t repeat herself. “Look, you should get some sleep. I’ll let you know if I think of something.”

“Fine.” Jean huffed, finally getting the alone time he desperately sought out. Just before she left she turned back to him.

“A word of advice, learn how to hide your emotions better. I don't want what happened to them happening to you.” And just like that she slipped back in the hall.

Jean took in Sheena’s words. It had only been a few hours since he found out and now she wanted him to get over it. He didn’t ask for or need her help.

Jean would solve this issue on his own.

His eyes roamed over the empty half of his dorm. Reaching out a hand he grasped one of El Topo’s tunneling gloves. He studied every scrape and dent from all of their past missions. Antonio’s hands were so much bigger than his own and his strength was unmatched. Paired with the gauntlets he was fully capable of crushing through concrete and shredding most metals. El Topo wasn’t one to brag, always acting humble and genuinely proud of others' accomplishments.

When Jean first met Antonio he wasn’t sure what to think of him. He hadn’t expected just how much they’d be drawn to each other. From their strengths to their weaknesses everything they did fell in place with the other’s. They became a nearly inseparable duo. Their teamwork never failed until their reunion with their ex-classmate and even then El Topo had a way of cheering him up at the end of the day.

Now he was gone and there was no bright side, reassurance, or pep talks about next time. Jean placed the gauntlets in the bag taking one more glance as he zipped it closed. The bag looked unassuming and would blend right into the closet space he had pulled it from.  
He should get some sleep.

This was the first time in quite a while that he’d sleep without Antonio in the room. It felt uncomfortable being confined to the room alone. He never realized just how tense he became without Antonio at his side. The feeling of unease stuck with him. Jean hadn’t felt unsafe when he was at VILE before so this came as a bit of a surprise.

Locking the door to his room felt as effective as a sign saying “keep out”. If someone wanted to come in they could find a way but Jean wasn't going to make it easy for them.

Going over to his desk Jean dragged his chair to the door, wedging it under securely. Only when satisfied did he bother to lay down. He hated this helpless feeling.

He didn't realize it at the time but this would be the start of his new nightly ritual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback if something is misspelled or if you just want to say hi.  
> thanks for reading (◍ ´꒳` ◍)♡


	9. Waking Up in Spain

~~~

Present day Spain, early morning

~~~

The windows were set up in a way that the rising sun flooded the room, the sheer curtains doing little to nothing to prevent the light creeping into all corners of his space. Even when turned away the morning rays still managed to illuminate the wall to an unbearable extent.

It wouldn’t make a difference. Jean couldn’t relax long enough to sleep more than a few hours. Every shuffle and creak of the house was amplified and the smallish shift in his sleep jostled his leg. Shifting his legs he felt the bag of ice-water roll off his ankle and onto the floor. Jean groaned accepting his fate. There was no returning to sleep now that his mind was at full swing.

The throbbing in his leg brought back the memories from the night before. He’d really messed up. Everything he worked so hard on was snatched away from him in an instant. All his planning and work was made void, but it wasn't doing him any good to lay around all morning sulking about it. With luck It would just be a temporary setback and wouldn't deviate him too far from his plans.

The amount of planning and determination it took to escape VILE only to fall straight into Carmen’s Zoo was ironic, but it couldn't be helped. If he hadn't been injured he would've escaped after he secured Antonio’s safety. Unfortunately, his choice to stay and help came with consequences. As Sheena once said “No good deed goes unpunished”. Jean had to accept that their reunion after all this time was bittersweet. If the price he had to pay for Antonio’s safety was a bad ankle, he’d count himself lucky. That didn't stop the worry washing over him.

Was Antonio alright? He’d fallen down rather hard, but Jean remembered of the relentless cursing and pounding on the door. The police would have surely heard such a commotion. Jean didn't want to think too deeply on that now. He had to focus on himself just for a bit.

There was of course the potentially easy way out. Carmen had offered to replace all his supplies but that probably came with a catch. Jean knew better than to blindly trust someone's “good intentions”. He let his guard down before and wouldn't make that same mistake twice.

Jean finally sat up completely in bed, glancing down at his leg and winced. The blossoming bruises stood out even against the shadows that were left in the room. Cautiously placing his foot on the floor Jean pressed down, curious to see if he could get away with walking. The pain that shot up his leg had him falling back onto the bed. It wasn’t serious enough to have him curled into a ball, but it would definitely give out if he attempted to use it. If he pushed himself it would just make things worse in the long run.

The thought of losing his ability to climb kept him cautious, normally he'd be stubborn but this was one of the few things he didn't want to risk. Climbing was his identity and his strength. No one he’d ever met had quite matched up to his skill and passion. He’d scaled buildings and escaped death by mere inches for the thrill. He couldn't let it end like this. 

Without another thought Jean pushed himself out of bed, carefully balancing on his good leg, determined to start his day. His shortcomings were only going to slow him down if he let them.

~~

With his new found defiance he took on the challenge of the stares. Soon enough Jean found himself in the entryway from the night before. With the morning rays peeking through the window Jean could make out the interior better. On the wall in the entryway was a rather large mirror that had Jean do a double take. He looked like a walking disaster. His eyes told it all, from his lack of sleep to the irritation in his body language. It didn't help that his clothes looked slept in and still had some dust from climbing around in the rafters. He managed to brush most of the filth off but he still felt sleazy. A shower was desperately needed but with his stuff still at the hotel he was out of luck. He sure as hell wasn't going to ask for any clothes from the other occupants and with no money on him he couldn't just go into town. Well he could but Carmen would prevent him from stealing.

Her offer still rang in his mind and he truly didn't know if he should or shouldn't at this point. If he accepted he’d be able to stay out from VILE’s raider, but he’d surrender his independence to people who didn't trust him. He couldn't blame them for that, his actions in the past spoke loud enough to his character. Carmen’s actions weren’t entirely unclear to Jean. She was a modern day robin hood, but instead of stealing historical artifacts she looted them back from the clutches of VILE. It was all so clichéd, but her and her crew had managed to take a large chunk out of VILE’s net worth. Jean’s goals weren’t so noble.

The sound of shuffling around in the other room made Jean jump but he was able to quickly reclaimed his composure. Someone was already in the kitchen either not knowing or caring about the noise they were making. Standing still Jean wondered if he should make his presence known, but figured he’d take in a few more minutes of anonymity. 

Letting gravity do its job, Jean plopped himself down into an armchair in the corner. The sounds of something dropping followed by a startled curse came from the kitchen. Carmen may have changed but Jean doubted that she’d cause such a commotion. That only left two other suspects, neither one of whom seemed too threatening even in his current state. Exhaustion had a way of taking the cares of the world away. Jean let out an audible yawn alerting the person in the kitchen.

Orange hair appeared just out of the corner of his eye as Jean finished stretching. Despite her efforts to be stealthy, the attempt was mediocre at best. His curiosity overtook his defiance and he turned his head to look directly at her. The American girl squinted her eyes in a poor attempt at intimidation. The display was childish at best and did little to nothing against Jean’s blank glare. Jean had already come to terms that Red-Team wouldn’t trust him. Surely this girl was going to go off at him without Carmen around. Maybe she’d make good on her threat to throw him into the water, after all there was a pool outside. Perhaps Jean should be more worried for his safety but deep down he knew that Red-Team wouldn't threaten his life. Without warning her face scrunched up and she let out a snorting laugh.

“Don’t be so serious goat boy.” The American came out from around the corner. She sported some of the ugliest pajama pants he’d ever seen. His face must have said it all as she glanced down at her apparel. “What? This is as comfortable as it gets when you're stuck in a house with a vile operative.” The American girl glanced down at what he was wearing and then looked back at his face. “Besides it's not like you have much room to talk. Man, didn’t you sleep at all? You're still in the same clothes from last night.”

“Yes well, my stuff is back at the hotel.” Jean looked away immediately realizing his mistake. If they hadn’t known where he was before they probably did now. This sleep deprivation was really getting to him.

“Well forget about that for now. If you’re staying with us we’ll just buy you some better stuff. My name is Ivy by the way.” Ivy shot out a hand covered in flour towards Jean.

“I never agreed to stay.” Jean glanced up at the smoky haze that began to seep out of the kitchen. It didn’t take Ivy long to notice before she was scrambling back into the room, turning off the stove and throwing a lid on top of the charred remains.

Jean’s attention fixed onto the front door wondering just how far he could make it with one leg. He was eager to get out of this house of chaos but his injury kept him in place. It was impossible to sneak away when he wasn’t even sure where he was. Odds were that if he walked down the gravel road he’d end up in more trouble than it was worth. He figured he could wait for now.

Just as the smoke alarm went off, the sounds of heavy footsteps frantically running around above him filled Jean's senses. Soon enough the other redheaded American came bolting down the stairs with an idiotic grin on his face. Halfway down they made eye contact.

“Ivy! The goat is up.” The boy lifted his arms up, approaching him slowly in the way one would a wild animal.

“Nah~ really.” Sarcasm dripped from every syllable as Ivy popped her head out from around the corner. “Hey Zack, crack open a window will yah.” Zack was snapped out of his pose and quickly did as he was told.

Jean sat back lazily taking in the sight of Zack trying to lift up a push window. He didn’t seem to be the brightest bulb. Jean wondered how Carmen managed to not only evade, but also beat VILE at its own game. Jean wasn’t naïve enough to underestimate them, but looking at them now behind the scene tarnished whatever sense of professionalism Jean held them too. Ivy was strong enough to not only hold herself but also Jean off the side of a platform. Jean couldn’t say what the brother was capable of.

Jean returned to reality when he felt eyes on him. Glancing back he could see Zack looking at his leg. He didn’t have to glance down to know what it looked like. Swollen and discolored. In his sleep deprived mind he’d forgotten to role the pant leg down after letting the ice sit on it.

It became all too obvious they’d need to go to the hospital.

Jean was becoming more and more uneasy with his injury, it was possible that delaying the doctors trip for so long could leave him with permanent injuries.

Zack’s thick accent rang in his ears as he bent down trying to poke at his damaged leg. The bold movement made Jean tense back into his seat swinging his good leg in front of his injured one.

“Aw man, you have all colors of the rainbow going on with your leg.” Zack was oblivious to the discomfort radiating off Jean. If he kept at it if he was going to get hit, consequences be damned.

“Don’t touch me!” The alarm in the kitchen finally stopped as Ivy came back out into the entryway.

“Zack don’t poke the goat.” Ivy caught herself and sheepishly stammered. “So what’s your name again?” Jean didn’t bother to answer but the tense situation was broken by Zack’s insistence.

“Ok, but check out the aurora borealis going on with his leg.” Ivy glanced down at his leg and winced.

“Uh boye, you definitely gotta get that looked at.” Ivy looked back to the kitchen and sighed. “Looks like we’re eating out again. I’ll let Carm know what’s what.” Ivy looked up the stairs. “Strange she hasn't come down yet.”

“Are we going to eat before or after the hospital?” Amidst the idle banter another pair of footsteps made their way up to the front door. If it wasn't for his VILE training, Jean would have missed it. Through the window Jean could see his ex-classmate Carmen walking back up to the Villa. Jean hadn’t even known she’d left. The jingling of keys was what caught the siblings attention. The door opened in word to reveal the three other housemates all cramped into the entryway.

“Good morning to you too.” Carmen walked over to the siblings giving them both a bag. The boy looked into the bag, and made a satisfied noise as he began to dig in. Each bag had some sort of sandwich and Zack didn't hesitate to scarf his down.

“Awww Carm, you beat me to it. I didn’t even know you were gone.” Ivy took her food out of the bag and gave Carmen an embarrassed smile.

“She must have seen the smoke signals.” Zack said between shoveling food in his mouth. Ivy shot her brother a look and Jean did all he could to stifle his laugh. Carmen seemed to be the only one to catch his blunder and Jean feigned interest out the window. Carmen offered Jean a wrapped sandwich but Jean held up his hand to stop her.

“Not eating after a mission like that can make you sick. You should really try to eat something.” Carmen offered him an unsure smile, waiting for him to take it.

“Perhaps you should be the one eating then.” Just as the night before, Jean put up his walls and Carmen rolled her eyes, placing the sandwich on the side table next to him. Carmen clapped her hands together getting the siblings attention.

“There’s been a slight change of plans guys” Carmen glanced down finally getting Jean’s attention. “ I know I said that I’d give you time but there’s something in Canada that we have to handle.”

“Awww What. What happened?” Zack stopped from inhaling the Spanish breakfast and focused on the leader of their crew.

“The books at the drop off point were forgeries. They caught wind of Shadowson being separated from the group and they might try to ambush him if he shows up alone.” Jean couldn’t help but listen. He hadn't given much thought on his old teacher but if VILE knew that they were working separately they would definitely try something. “We’re going to leave after dinner and meet up with him in Canada .” She sounded determined and fixed her gaze on Jean.

Glancing around Jean noticed all attention was fixated on him. Out of all the things she could have thrown at him, this was bad.

“I never said that I would join.” Somehow the siblings seemed disappointed by Jean’s reluctance, but Carmen seemed to expect that response.

“Let’s just focus on getting your leg looked at, then we can figure things out. How does that sound?” There was no other way around it, but would Carmen really just let him leave or was this some sort of trap. It felt a bit unfair to be given such short notice but he made no more of a complaint.

Zack was the first one up making a grab at the keys on the counter top. The American boy was already talking about lunch even though he had just finished inhaling his breakfast.

It felt like this would be the longest day of Jean’s life.

~~~

If there was one thing he hated more than hospitals, it was being chaperoned like a kid. It didn’t help that it was by some of the most hyperactive foreigners he had ever met. They managed to make Neal feel like a walk in the park.

Blacksheep had also gone through a phase at the academy, but her pranks were rather entertaining when you weren’t on the other end. Jean wouldn’t tell anyone but her pranks were some of the most fun he had after joining VILE Academy.

Blacksheep had grown out of her wool and showed her true colours as Carmen Sandiego. Where Blacksheep would jump into any jab sent out from Sheena, Carmen rolled with the punches. That didn’t mean that her mischievous side was no longer present but she’d matured seamlessly into the person she was today. It was hard to wrap his head around how she had grown into the selfless person she’d become.

Jean expected her to turn out like Sheena, a competitive cut throat woman. She would’ve surpassed them all and possibly become one of the most successful thieves of their times. It wouldn't be a surprise to see her sitting alongside the other faculty members, but she’d somehow surpass them in an entirely new way. She was tenacious, a natural born thief who knew what she wanted and forged her own path. Jean wouldn’t lie to himself about her abilities but he’d never address it out loud. He preferred keeping people at arms length, say for one exception.

Carmen hadn’t been the only one to change. If he’d known from the start what the outcome would’ve been, would he still have joined up?

Before VILE he was a hotheaded daredevil that didn't think twice about trespassing just for the fun of it. After graduating from VILE he was a hotheaded daredevil that got paid for trespassing. Jean was more into the thrill and pushing himself to the limits. Having bragging rights was nice but now it felt empty.

The van jolted to a stop almost sending Jean’s head into the back of the seat. Ivy leaned forward and lightly smacked the back of her brother's head.

“This isn’t a pit stop, you have to be careful driving in public.” Ivy glanced back around to Jean with a sympathetic smile. He was surprised but turned away.

The van slowed to a stop outside of a clinic. Jean looked around wondering why they were still in town. Admittedly it was a smaller clinic but still too close to the factory for his liking. Jean just sat there trying to get his bearings before Carmen opened the door.

“Why are we so close to town? Did you forget about the police or vile?” Carmen’s audacity to stay in town was astounding. Jean once again wondered how they had never managed to catch her.

“Don’t worry, this place is safe. ” Carmen fumbled around in her coat pocket pulling out a passport. “Here take this.” Jean plucked the booklet out of her hands. Flipping through the pages he stopped on a photo of none other than himself. His eyes widened for a moment before taking a closer look. If he hadn’t taken Countess Cleo’s class he may have missed it, but no one knew his face better than himself and the few flaws stuck out.

Carmen cut off his train of thought, as if knowing what he was going to ask.

“Our resident hacker plays around with an AI program that was able to replicate your face.” The knowledge that there could be more members in Carmen’s crew took him back a bit. It would explain how she was able to slip away unseen. Jean felt the paper and couldn’t tell the difference between this and the real thing but surely it couldn’t fool the scanners at the airport.

“This might be able to trick a bartender but I doubt an airport would accept this.” Jean tossed the passport to the side of the car giving it no more attention. To Jean, accepting the passport was to accept Carmen’s offer.

“Don't be so convinced just yet, our insider is very thorough. We managed to get a rush job on this just for you.” Carmen took a step back in surprise at her phone ringing in her back pocket. “In fact that would be them right now. Give me a minute.” Carmen pulled out her phone, stepping away from them to start up a conversation with their insider. Jean strained to listen in but the American boy cut him off.

“We traveled across borders all the time. Heck we collect passports like stamps.” Zack flipped open his passport showing all the border stamps collected over time. “Look, we even go to school together.” The lack of sleep slowed down Jean’s reaction time and it took a bit to realize who he was referring too.

“I have never shared class with the likes of you.” Jean felt almost insulted at the implication.

“Yeah well that’s not what the passport says.” Zack waved his passport back in Jeans general direction. Snatching it up he flipped it open taking note on the student section. According to the visa they were students from a study abroad program of San Diego.

“You are currently a Belgium exchange student named ‘Gabriel Maude’. We can change the name and take a real picture later but consider this a placeholder.” Ivy opened the passport showing his student ID. Jean begrudgingly took the passport back. “Our hacker’s also cutting any wireless feed for the hospital when you're in frame so there little troll won’t have a clue.”

Jean paused wondering who she was referring to momentarily before it clicked. VILE had a member join up with them from Roundabout’s operation. He didn’t know or care about the stubby goblin man but had done well to avoid cameras during his travels. Unlike Carmen who’s Red coat and fedora stuck out in a crowd, Jean picked up the trends and fashions to blend in.

“You shouldn’t have made this. I still haven’t decided to help you.” Jean huffed begrudgingly shoving the passport in his back pocket. Even if he hated it he could still make use.

“What! You totally have to come with. Come on, we need another boy on the team.” Zack pouted like a child. Jean didn’t even reply to the declaration.

“Don’t worry about that for now. This is just so you can check into the clinic without raising suspicions.” Jean looked back at Carmen. She had finished up her call and was reaching out her hand. It was an offering to help him but it only made him feel patronized, but for a moment he saw the short haired tomboy who cared about her teammates back on VILE island.

Jean shuffled past her without a word. The hand was gone and she rolled her eyes giving an all too knowing smile.

At any other time the distance between where he was dropped off and the entrance would be typical, but with his ankle it made even the most mundane obstacles seem like hurdles. Carmen walked past him into the lobby. Jean’s brow twitched as he hurriedly shuffled through the door.

“We have an appointment at 8:30 for my classmate.” Carmen was already taking the initiative to check him in. Jean internally groaned, showing his passport to the front desk.

“Yes, right this way. Your friends will need to stay in the waiting area.” The receptionist wasted no time in ushering Jean to the back. Jean looked back at the crew getting settled in the lobby. Carmen sat next to Ivy and Zack complained about his missing wallet as he stood in front of the soda machine.

Without the presence of Carmen and crew he was able to finally relax as he followed the nurse. She seemed to notice him shuffling and offered him a wheelchair but Jean declined. He didn’t put up a fuss like he had with Carmen and the two siblings, but it may have come off too strong. She smiled kindly, leading him down the hall, saying something about “headstrong college kids.”

The nurse ran some follow up questions as they both waited for the doctor. After the checks were done the nurse started up some small talk about school, causing Jean to mentally freeze. He was barely able to ramble off some half assed answers before the doctor Interrupted them. The nurse excused herself, wishing him well and handing off the chart. Jean signed in relief. The doctor wasted no time piping up.

“Well I can see you aren’t in a wheelchair but your chart says you hurt your leg.” The doctor was an older man with a genuine smile. Jean was almost taken aback by the man’s demeanor. “Don't worry I was young once. I know you're probably acting tough for the girls.”

“Yes. Wait no. Uh-I'm here about my leg” Jean stammered trying to get himself back on track. Lying was much easier when he wasn’t sleep deprived and hungry. If only he hadn't been so stubborn earlier.

“Which leg were you having issues with?” Jean rolled up his pant’s leg eagerly wanting to cover up his earlier blunder. A deep purple took over the impact zone and slowly sped out and up his leg. “I don't know how you were able to sleep on this injury.” The doctor wrote something down on his board and continued to lightly poke around the edges of the bruise.

“How did you know.” To say he was surprised was an understatement.

“The bruise has already finished spreading and is very dark. I can see that the impact zone was right on your foot and your ankle was dislocated.” The doctor grabbed some more papers off the printer and added them onto his chart. “You’re going to need x-rays, but I need to know. Were you hit with something?”

Jean paused for a moment. He couldn’t say that he fell because of how obvious the impact zone was and now the doctor had noticed his pause. Jean was too tired to think quickly. A thought crossed his mind and before he could rethink it the words were already out of his mouth.

“Last night I was drunk.” The doctor raised his brow and smirked.

“Can you not remember?”

“No I can. I was on the back of my friend's motorbike. We struck something in the road and it hit my leg. I didn’t come in right away because I didn’t want my school to find out.” The Doctor took the bait hook line and sinker.

“Is that all.” The doctor chuckled, pulling up a wheelchair to take him for his x-rays. “Well you arnt underage so there's really nothing you can get in trouble for. I don't see a point in telling your school, but you really should be more aware when drinking. All of this could have been avoided, you know.” Jean couldn't be more relieved. He didn't even make a fuss as the doctor wheeled him out to do his x-rays.

Taking on a reassuring tone the doctor went on to tell him about what stupid things he’d done when in college. One story involved the running of the bulls and being stuck in a tree. Jean actually had a good laugh at that one. It had been some time since he'd felt content, it was a real relief. Unlike the nurse the doctor had no trouble holding a one sided conversation as Jean had x-rays done. Whatever tension was in the room was gone and filled with small chat about school as the doctor finished wrapping his leg. Sure enough the doctor said he would be good to go but he should follow the instructions on the release form.

“Stay safe and don't drink so much.” The doctor waved him off and went off into the next room.

Jean pushed himself up with his new crutches, keeping his ankle from touching the ground. A nurse handed over the sheets and sent him out to the hall leading to the lobby. It was a relief that it was all over with and he’d managed to get away from it all with no broken bones. From where he was standing he could vaguely make out Carmen and crew through the window, still waiting for him in the lobby. He was surprised to see all three of them just sitting and joking around with each other. Even Carmen was getting in on the teasing. He remembered the mischief she used to get into at her time at VILE.

The few times he’d seen her behave as the Blacksheep he’d known was when she was around her new crew. But now she held herself more mature and level headed. He wondered if she’d been allowed to graduate, would she still be this carefree and kind.

Graduation was a turning point for many of them and had changed them all in different ways. If they hadn’t accepted they would've been disposed of in one way or another. Would they be mindwiped and dropped off on the mainland or something worse. If Blacksheep refused would they mindwipe her until she accepted. The more he thought about it the more he felt true pity for her.

VILE had been a way to escape his past and find a purpose in the world but wasn't that what Blacksheep did. She escaped her past and found her purpose and was truly happy. He wasn’t sure what she would've become but looking at her now had him smile if only for a moment.

That smile died when he remembered what he needed to do. All he had was a fake ID and the wallet he’d swiped from Zack.

It was easier than he thought to sneak out the side with his new crutches. Catching a taxi was a bit harder but soon enough he was able to leave without alerting Carmen and crew. Looking back at the clinic he couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take until they realized he wasn’t coming back.

~~~


	10. Chapter 10

When Jean came up with his original plan he never thought he'd work alongside Carmen. Maybe a glimpse here or there, but instead he ended up assisting on a Caper that she’d already had her eye on. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. She of course had already staked out the place, he just hadn’t noticed until she was stuck in the rafters with him. Jean had done the best he could to stay under VILE’s radar, but as luck would have it he ended up back in the chaos of it all. It’d been an unfortunate series of events that had them crashing into each other. 

Jean assumed that once ACME left that Carmen wouldn't show, so he took it upon himself to see VILE’s caper fail. He knew that he was in for some trouble when the power was cut. The fact Antonio was even there that night was nothing more than a fluke. Had everything gone according to plan Jean would’ve set off an alarm, but then things became complex.

He pushed his feelings to the side. It’d do him no good to overthink the past, all he needed to remember was that Antonio was safe and VILE never laid eyes on him. Jean looked down at his hands. The wallet he swiped off the American boy had a decent amount of pocket money but nothing substantial. It would last him two days at most if he rationed it out, but all he needed was the amount for the taxi ride. He glanced back at Zack’s dorky smile on the fake ID. He could imagine all their smiles dropping when they discovered he was gone. 

How long would it take them to realize he wasn’t coming back? Perhaps it would be an hour or when the clinic closed down for the day. Just how long were they willing to wait. The longer Jean thought about it the more he started to regret his decision. It’d been some time since he’d been around a friendly group of faces, as unexpected as it was. 

If Carmen didn't essentially kidnap him, he would’ve ended up in police custody and would’ve been grabbed by VILE. Had Ivy not reset his ankle, he’d possibly have long term damage. He pondered if Zack had done anything but the only thing that came to mind was the wallet in his hand. Zack did seem excited at the idea of him joining though. Jean pulled out the money and closed the wallet. He didn't regret leaving but he did regret how aggressive he’d been towards them during their short time together.

When he left VILE he did so out of anger but much of that had steamed off. The high he received just from succeeding what few others had done before was enough to help cool his temper and level his mind. He wasn't planning on interfering with VILE’s operation to the same extent as Carmen, but he’d still make it complicated for them when given the opportunity. Every VILE drop off that he could figure out was met with an anonymous call to the authorities and so on. He hadn't gotten very far with his hands off approach but it still sent VILE scrambling like roaches exposed to the light and that was enough for him. 

Screwing up VILE operations wasn't his main goal. He’d made his rounds all across Europe to disguise his sought destination, Spain.

He'd planned on finding Antonio. He needed to reassure himself that his dear friend was well, but that was easier said than done. Jean had only escaped a few weeks earlier and was close to giving up hope of finding Antonio in this seaside town. That was until four days earlier when his sleuthing and eavesdropping paid off. Now it seemed that he’d have to skip town to stay one step ahead of VILE. 

Jean felt terrible about how badly their first interaction went but it couldn't be helped. He told himself that he’d make it up to him when they met again. It wasn't his intention to leave so soon but Antonio’s safety came first. The risk of raising VILE suspicions was too high. He’d make sure to pop back up on VILE’s radar in a completely different country and then skip out again until his leg was better. Maybe in a few more months he could come down and catch up with Antonio. 

Jean was still as stubborn as ever and refused to give up on his friend, even if he lacked the memories to truly appreciate his efforts. All of this was for him. 

Jean ran his fingers through his hair brushing the stray strands back into place. He was overdue for a shower but he’d still have to wait. The hotel wouldn't be safe and a quick in and out was all he could spare. It was strange to think that his whole life was stuffed into just one bag, but that's all he needed. With any luck he'd be out of the country this time tomorrow. 

A familiar building caught his attention as the taxi came to a stop. 

It was just one of the many Hotels one would find when visiting Spain, but this one happened to be where he’d set up his operations for the time being. The hotel was a hotspot for tourists, but with it being the end of season the only people stopping by were businessmen and women along with the odd traveler or two. He had no trouble booking himself into a room for a week and rarely ran into anyone. He gave the driver a sizable tip before shuffling out of the car.

With the help of his crutches he made his way into the hotel heading straight to the elevator. Normally he'd take the stairs if just for the exercise but in his current condition he opted out. 

Polished metal gave Jean another look at himself as the doors closed. Disheveled and tired. It was a far cry on how he’d looked when he left the hotel the night of the break in. The bags under his eyes were even more profound and his crutches made him look pathetic.

With a sigh he watched as each floor number lit up as he continued his ascent. He hadn’t realized just how slow it was. He almost regretted not taking the stairs as he was forced to look at the pitiful reflection in front of him. He wasn't looking forward to the ride back down. 

After what felt like an eternity the Elevator came to a halt.

“Octavo piso.” The monotone voice said over the intercom. Eighth floor, this was his stop.

The metal doors parted to the long hallway with rooms lined up on each side. Floor to ceiling windows let in a blinding amount of natural light reflecting off the polished metal. He cursed the burning sensation in his tired eyes as he squinted to see where he was going. If he was quick about it he could grab his things and get out before the elevator moved to another floor. 

His crutches were silent as he moved along the carpeted floor, stopping in front of the only door with a “Do not Disturb” sign posted. Fumbling around in his pockets he pulled out the digital keycard and swiped it. He was relieved when he heard the door mechanism turn and saw the flashing green light signaling access. 

The room was a harsh contrast from the blinding light in the hallway allowing Jean's eyes to take a break. The blackout curtains had done an excellent job cutting out light, reassuring him that no one could spy from the outside. There had been so many things that had gone wrong that day and just having a few moments to himself felt like an absolute godsend. Jean was just about to turn on the lights when he realized something that made his blood run cold. 

The lights were on when he left.

Swinging back one of his crutches he made contact with something semi-solid. Whoever was there blocked it by shoving it back at him. Jean stumbled further into the room trying to regain his balance. He jumped back to dodge a swipe from electric knuckles. As the static charge slowly began to fade Jean could make out a pale white face and a toothy grin. 

“Hello roomie.” Neal looked him up and down. “Looks like you didn't get any sleep, but~” He gestured to Jean’s leg. “You were able to get that looked at. To tell the truth I really didn't think Dash had it in him.” Neal came into full view standing between him and the door silhouetting his lanky frame. Jean eyed the gap between Neal and the exit but the crackling of the stinger in his hand kept him at bay. “Woah! Woah! Not so fast. What has it been, a month since you took off, without even saying goodbye? Although I do have to tell yah’, having the room all to myself again was amazing. Really surprised that you’ve gone all vigilante and whatnot.” Neal continued to ramble away, begging for a response of any kind but Jean kept quiet. He was hoping that he’d somehow be able to get the advantage but one look at the stingers in his hands kept him at bay. Jean already knew that the electric shock could travel through metal so using his crutches wasn't an option.

“You seem to have a nice set up though. Took a bit to find you, but I've got to say, really disappointed that Carmen’s not here, but a traitor's a traitor. I’d like to say it's nothing personal, but~” Using his foot he slowly closed off Jeans' only escape route, trapping them inside together. As the door closed he realized that he was losing the only light source in the room. 

In a matter of seconds the room went black. Jean took the defensive and was forced to take a few steps back before he bumped into something. His reaction time wasn’t what it was the night before and Neal knew it. Jean could feel his heart beating against his chest as adrenaline took over. 

The room had faded to black as Jean tried to recall his surroundings. When he entered the hotel room there was a couch and across from that was a dresser with a T.V. on the stand. Further back in the room were two queen beds and in the back corner on the chair was his bag. All he had to do was grab the bag and get out of the room in pitch darkness. He could feel a dresser behind him so he wasn't all the way back in the room, but he’d lost track of where Neal had been. 

The carpet muffled the footsteps making it hard to tell where he’d slithered off to, but the sound of crackling to the left sent him diving out to the right. In a flash the room's television burst to life before the shattered screen slowly burned itself out. Neal struggled to pull the stinger out of the screen as the room once again faded back to black. 

Jean shuffled further back into the room feeling around for his bag as he heard the sound of the stingers charging up once again. There wasn’t much room to dodge Neal’s next attack and he instinctively used the crutch to shield the blow.

A jolt was sent up his arm from where his skin touched the metal. His body spasmed as he was sent to the ground with a solid thud. He’d fallen between the two beds, scrambling back out of reach as he tried to get feeling to return to his hand. A burning sensation took over and Jean compressed the area, desperate to find some relief. unbeknownst to him Neal advanced leaving no room to escape. 

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Come on, you knew better than to come back here alone.” Bringing the stingers close together caused an electrical arch to form, bathing the room in a green light. Jean took in the sight of Neal looming over him, but more importantly he took in his surroundings. Grabbing firm to his other crutch Jean finally gave into Neal’s banter.

“Surely you’d remember to always protect the face.” Using his remaining crutch Jean-Paul swung up towards him. Neal’s gapped tooth smile increased to next level smugness as he effortlessly blocked the crutch but immediately dropped in an expression of pain as Jean used the cheapest trick in the book. As Neal was distracted protecting the face Jean kicked out as hard as he could into Neal’s ‘crowned Jewels’, dropping him like a rock. Neal lost his grip on the stingers and the room started to dim to black once again.

Jean shot back to his feet and with the help of one crutch, limped to the chair in the corner as he frantically felt around for his bag in the dark. In frustration Jean grabbed hold of the curtain pulling it off its rod to flood the room with the sunlight he'd despised not even a few minutes earlier. Frantically looking around he saw no sign of his duffle. There was nothing of his anywhere in the room. Jean heard Neal groan as he attempted to stand again.

Jean had to make a choice. Even though his heart was breaking at the thought, he had to leave without the bag. Without another thought, Jean made his way out of the room and back down the hall to the elevator. Considering he only had one crutch he made it down the hall reasonably quick. He wasted no time leaving Neal behind as he saw the doors to the elevator. Just as he was about to make it, his remaining crutch was knocked out from under him. The floor was carpeted but he still managed to land hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Glancing up he saw Dash Harber holding his crutch in one hand and a charged up crackle rod in the other.

“Good to see you again.” Dash held the crutch out of reach. “You and your friends ruined my favorite suit.” Dash stood between him and the elevator preventing his escape. “But don’t worry about that now. The Cleaners are coming around to take out the trash.” Dash reveled in the expression that crossed Jean’s face. Jean’s eyes focused on the crackle rod sparking and snapping in his hand. Jean could hear Neal coming out of the room behind him. Dash arched a brow at Neal’s unsteady gait. “Hey, what was that you were saying about getting the drop on him in there? I could hear you all the way from the stairway.” There weren’t any witty comebacks from the New Zealander who was breathing heavily. Dash was taken a bit back from his appearance. Instead Neal’s eyes locked onto Jean.

“Oh you’re going to fucking regret that.” Neal grasped his stingers and made his way swiftly towards Jean who was prone on the floor. Jean was between a rock and a hard place and couldn't see a way to get advantage of the situation. 

Jean lost. He lost his dignity, he’d lost his bag, and now he would lose everything left.

Several things happened at once, Neal took off down the hallway with killing intent in his eyes, Dash held his hands up in surprise, and a familiar monotone voice came out from the speaker of the elevator. Dash let out an indignant squawk as something made contact with him hard, sending him straight into Neal’s attack. All Jean could process was a flash of red as he was yanked back to his feet. 

With almost angelic timing Carmen had come in pulled him to his feet but instead of dragging him into the open doors of the elevator she pulled him further down the hall towards the blinding light of the window. Jean stumbled as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to thank her and apologies but all that came out of his mouth was-  
“STOP! There isn't an exit that way. Let's just take the elevator.” Carmen did stop so he could get a hold on his balance but she resisted when he pulled back to the exit.

“No time. The Cleaners are waiting for you down there.” The hair on the back of his neck raised at the implications but Carmen held him close to her side. “Think of this as a three-legged race.” Jean-Paul understood and lined himself up. His strides were adjusted to make up for the height difference and together they made it down the hall to the floor to ceiling window. Jean was about to turn the corner when Carmen stopped him. 

“Just a moment.” She pulled out an eyeliner applicator but before he could question it she uncapped it. A small laser came out and traced the frame of the window leaving a red glow on the trace mark. All it took was a push and the window dislodged and dropped into the unoccupied courtyard, shattering upon impact. Jean gulped as he became aware of his limitations with his injury.

“I can’t climb down with my leg like this.” Jean sounded defeated but looked down to see Carmen attaching some kind of belt to his waist. He followed the belt back from its source and saw it attached to her triangle backpack. She pulled it tight, leaving no room for slack.

“We’re not climbing. Just hold on, I’ve done this before.” Jean didn’t want to but knew better than to argue in situations like this. And so he gave Carmen the only thing he had left. 

His trust.

~~~

Neal fumbled pulling up a dazed Dash Harbor, before switching his attention behind him when he heard the smashing glass. He looked up just in time to see the two plummet from the window ledge together. Dash was dropped to the ground as he raced to the window, looking down to see the aftermath. Instead he saw a red glider smoothly heading out of sight. Neal grit his teeth. They needed to leave before the police arrived.

He wasn't looking forward to his call to the Faculty.

~~~


	11. Chapter 11

Spain was truly beautiful this time of year even if the air had a notable chill. Clear skies and Golden rays reflected off the ocean’s surface. It was so picturesque that it could be on a postcard. Unfortunately the rate at which the ground approached put a damper on the situation.

This wasn't the first time Jean had fallen from such a height but he’d never felt more helpless than in this moment. Perhaps it was pride or his own competitive nature but he relied on no one when it came to climbing and everything related. Maybe he was desperate for an escape but the moment his feet left the ground reality kicked in.

Any millisecond now nothing would matter because he once again gave his trust to the wrong person-

His train of thought came to a halt when they were jolted hard. It felt as though all the blood in his body was pushed to his feet as the familiar shape of her glider opened up. Carmen pulled up with such force that it blew over some of the hotel’s patio furniture. She struggled with the shifting weights but managed to stay in the sky. 

They’d only gone a few streets over when the glider took on turbulence. The look on Carmen’s face said it all as she fruitlessly attempted to direct the glider only for the wind to pull them closer to the shoreline. Looking over his shoulder Jean saw that they'd been pushed out past the beach and were approaching the water.

“Can you swim?” Carmen shouted over the rushing sound of the wind and waves. Jean looked down to see the water fast approaching.

“Yes.”

Time felt like it stopped as Carmen untethered him. It was only a drop from ten feet but the moment his back hit the water he knew he was in trouble. The water was cold and dragged him under as he thrashed to get his bearings. He needed air. Instinct told him to open his eyes but the stinging sensation did the little to help. He could however make out the surface all he needed to do was move in the direction of the light.

Breaching the surface was a whole new level of relief even with the wind chilling his body.

“LE CHÈVRE!”

A red figure in the canvas of blue caught his attention. Carmen had abandoned her glider and was frantically looking around when she finally spotted him. Jean wanted to call out but couldn't get a word in edgewise with the water beating relentlessly against his body.

Carmen wasted no time as she made her way to him. Jean attempted to do the same but his progress was hindered by his bound foot. A sharp tug on his hoodie alerted him that Carmen was with him. The tide would push them into the shore before pulling them back again. A sharp pain shot up as his bad leg made contact with something solid under his feet. 

This time it was Jean’s turn to grab Carmen as he steadied himself against the shifting sand and the brutal waves. Adrenaline was waning away as they both managed to steady themselves on the sandbank when reality set in.

So close yet so far away from the shore. With the way the tide was moving any attempt to move off the sandbank would’ve swept them back out. Jean racked his brain for what to do in this situation.

“I-if we swim parallel to the shore we might be able to-” His statement was cut short by a splash of salt water in his face. Carmen pushed against him to stop him from losing his footing as the tide began to settle down. “Oh so now it stops.” Jean spat as the water calmed down. They weren't out of the woods yet. They had settled in the calm part of the water but the way to the beach was still active and could sweep an unwary swimmer into a more dangerous area. 

“We should stay put. I’ll call my crew. Just give me a minute.” Carmen pulled out a compact mirror that came to life with a static hiss.

“Hey Red, you nearly gave us a heart attack.” The new voice sounded young even younger than the American duo.

“Sorry about that Player.”

Jean peered over her shoulder to catch sight of the teen on the screen. He was absolutely speechless. The kid on screen barely looked old enough to drive. If VILE managed to get their claws on him the result would be disastrous. What was she thinking involving someone so young.

“No problem Red, it comes with the territory. Anyway, Zack and Ivy are on their way to your location.” Carmen nodded in understanding as Jean kept silent.

“Good to hear-” Carmen was cut off as the communicator finally succumbed to the salt water. “Well that's another thing to add to the checklist. Waterproof com-unit.” Carmen snapped her compactor shut as her attention shifted back to Jean. “So where were you going to go?”

“I...” Jean didn’t have an answer. He’d been so focused on escaping that he didn’t even think about it. Without his bag he had no funds in the area, but more importantly he lost the few possessions he had left. All his plans of slipping away were now skewed. It would take him weeks before he could get access to another cash stash in his current condition. “I don't know.” Carmen could see the despair in Jean’s eyes. The look didn't suit him. Jean caught himself but couldn't pull off the façade of stubbornness he’d molded over the past several months. “Why… why did you help me?”

“Why did you help me back at the warehouse?” Carmen playfully shot back. Truth be told, she was worried. Worried about his leg, worried about his body, and worried about his mind. He was free to leave if he wanted but she needed to make sure he was able to take care of himself and with VILE still in the area he was vulnerable. “So about VILE. Whether you like it or not we’re kinda in the same boat. If you want to you can come with us. It’s nice knowing people have your back.” 

Jean let out another sigh as a cool breeze blew against his soaked body.

“I think you care too much. Do you really think I would be that bad off without you?”

“Well I wouldn't want to leave you standing on your last leg.” Carmen awkwardly smiled, gaging if she’d gone too far. “Sorry. In this boat we joke to cope.”

A smile crossed her lips as she continued to look off into the distance. It took a moment for him to realize why it felt so familiar, but once he saw it he couldn't unsee it. It was the smile of Blacksheep. Carefree and optimistic for what the future held. Jean was jealous that she could remain so composed in such uncertainty.

The screeching of tires interrupted their moment of silence. Both heads snapped in the direction of the sound. He was half expecting an unmarked VILE vehicle but was greeted with the familiar silver van that drove off the side road and straight onto the deserted beach. Carmen let out a relieved sigh but the feeling wasn’t mutual.

Scrambling out of the car the Americans ran up to the shoreline. Ivy pushed her way into the crashing waves up to her knees with a life ring as Zack laid out a rope behind her. The intensity in Ivy’s eyes said it all.

“Uh, Jean. You may want to get ready to move.”

With the strength of an Olympic disk thrower, Ivy sent the lifesaver skidding across the water. Both Carmen and Jean had to sidestep to avoid being hit. With a fresh splash of cold water in his face Jean lost his balance. Before he could be swept back into the tide Carmen grabbed his hand. 

“Hold on.” Carmen said as she guided Jean's hand to the flotation. He could barely feel it with how cold his hands were. He ended up taking Carmen’s lead and hooking his arm up to his elbow as they both returned to the mercy of the tides.

“Make sure you have a tight grip.” Carmen knew what to expect next but it still caught her by surprise at the speed they were both dragged in. It had been such a struggle earlier just to stay put but her crew were relentless when they pulled them both onto the shore.

Sand covered a good part of their clothes as they both splayed across the beach. Despite the nip in the air Jean’s lungs felt like they were burning. Ivy raced to their side as Zack followed over with some blankets. 

Carmen reached out for the blanket as Zack and Ivy looked her over. Jean shifted and dragged himself away from the trio. They may be relieved to have their friend back but it was only a matter of time before they snapped at him.

Jean could imagine them telling him off and threatening him for what almost happened to their friend. He didn’t want to admit to what he’d done but when he looked up there was no sign of contempt in their eyes, only worry and relief.

“Hey are you ok? You're looking worse for wear.” Ivy placed a hand on his shoulder as a blanket was tossed over him.

“Man we almost didn’t get there in time. I swear I broke a few traffic laws.” Ivy playfully punched her brother’s shoulder.

“Since when do we follow traffic laws?” Ivy looked back to Jean-Paul with bright eyes. “Glad you're ok. We thought we were too late.”

Their words felt so genuine but instead of reassurance, he only felt admonished. Here he was back with the people he’d abandoned without another word all for a bag that he wasn't able to retrieve. This had to be the universe’s twisted idea of a consolation prize.

“Why are you doing this?” Jean asked under his breath.

“Huh? Doing what?” Zack tilted his head and Ivy stared at him confused.

“Just this!” Jean gestured to the whole group. “Aren’t you pissed?” 

“Honestly, a little on the way over.” Ivy shrugged at her own admission. “You just took off without telling us and that kinda sucks.”

“But then we saw the spooky janitors outside the hotel and we thought we were too late.” Zack included as he offered a blanket to the soaked French man.

“Yeah like we’re glad you’re all right but why would you go back there. Didn’t you know that VILE would be looking for you?” Having it laid out like that made Jean realize just how foolish his actions were to outsiders.

“I just needed to grab something and leave.” Even now his answer seemed thoughtless but that was mainly because it was. Jean was so focused on getting the bag he ended up falling straight in a VILE ambush with nothing to show.

“What? If you stayed we would’ve replaced everything for you.” Ivy paused before coming to the realization. “Oh… you aren't staying.” The upbeat reaction from the American siblings diminished. Jean didn’t need to explain himself but figured if they were willing to sacrifice this much for him that he could give them an inch.

“It’s nothing personal. You guys just couldn't replace what I had.” Jean looked at their faces of disappointment. He didn’t want to be confronted this way. Screaming, yelling, and insults he could handle, but they looked like he’d stabbed them in the back for leaving. Sure there were better ways he could have gone about it but he didn't owe anyone anything. Now he was back to square one all because he chose to help Carmen back at the warehouse. He gave up everything to help her with nothing to show for it. He never thought that he could feel this low again after everything that happened but now he had to face the consequences.

No good deed goes unpunished.

“Wait.” Carmen shouted from the van as she opened the trunk. Jean didn't know if he should feel relieved or insulted that her attention was focused on something else to such an extent, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw Carmen pull out a familiar bag.

“What!” Jean scrambled as best as he could slipping and stumbling the short distance to the van. Sure enough it wasn't a trick of the saltwater in his eyes, but his old oversized duffle. He clutched onto it tightly feeling as though it would vanish if he released it even for a second. How long was the bag there? Was his stuff seriously here this entire time? His head whipped around to Carmen. “But when did you-“

“After we talked last night.  Player did a search on some security cameras and figured out where you were staying. ” Carmen kept her distance as she watched Jean’s reaction. “ I know better than anyone that some items are irreplaceable. I was going to give it to you after the hospital, I swear.”

Jean didn't say anything but placed the bag on the ground, carefully unzipping it. He doubted it was tampered with but he wasn’t taking any more chances. The zipper was barely halfway down when Ivy piped up in surprise.

“Sugar honey iced tea!” Jean had to pull the bag away from his audience. From there point of view all they could see was a bag filled to the brim with currencies from across the world. From what he could see nothing was tampered with. Even Carmen was surprised at the reveal.

“Whoa! Just like in the movies. What bank did you swipe this from?” Zack asked with childlike wonder.

“Let me guess. The international bank of VILE?” Carmen smiled knowing she was right.

“So wait. This means you're staying, right?” Zack piped up. “Like, you owe Carmen for sticking her neck out for you.” Jean tensed at the comment and Carmen spoke up.

“He doesn't owe us anything. We don't hold favors over other people's heads.”

“Wait no I mean~uh it would be nice if he....” Zack backpedaled, spluttering all the while but Jean was already looking away from the gang. Carmen knew that Zack was just excited and meant nothing bad by it but Jean was already on edge at the revelation. Carmen scraped her mind for any excuse to break this awkward silence.

“Hey, how about you guys start the car It's pretty chilly out.”

“What? Oh poor Carm, I completely forgot you're soaked. Here.” Ivy took off her coat and wrapped it around her friend. Jean side eyed Zack who was fiddling with his own coat zipper. Jean grimaced.

“Don't even think about it.” Jean subconsciously pulled the bag closer to himself stepping out of reach.

“It's ok Zack, let's just get the car started.” His sister consoled him as she led him to the front of the van. Carmen and Jean's eyes met but she was missing her signature smile.

“I’m sorry about what happened. Both here and back at the Villa. I get it if you don’t want to stay but at least let us take you back to the clinic. I want to make sure that you can handle escaping VILE if they come looking.”

“I can handle myself.” Jean attempted to wring out his hoodie as a cold breeze blew over them. In the end he discarded his hoodie in the trunk of the van with an annoyed grumble.

“I know you can, which is why I won't ask you to stay when you're done.” Jean paused, waiting for the catch but nothing came.

“What about your goons?” 

“They don't get a say. No one but you can choose if you stay or leave.” Carmen held her breath as Jean thought over her proposition.

“Fine.” Jean said in an unenthused tone. 

Carmen looked over to Zack and Ivy. The duo seemed to be tossing playful jabs back at each other in the front seat. Ivy spotted them looking and rolled down the window.

“Hey guys, it’s great catching up and all, but we should take off. Wouldn't want to make it too easy for VILE now would we?” Ivy waved the two over as Zack revved the engine.

Carmen held out a hand for Jean but was predictably ignored. At least his stubborn pride was still in contact.

As Zack drove back over the curve and onto the main road Carmen tried to relax. Jean just leaned against the window with a death grip on his bag as they made their way back to the clinic.

  
  


===

It felt like déjà vu as the members of the red gang sat together in the lobby of the clinic. The only difference being the crew’s whole attention on the door. With every minute of waiting the siblings became more and more on edge. Carmen wanted to reassure them but didn't want to give them false hope. Truth be told she didn’t know if Jean would return and she wouldn't blame him. By nature Jean was a headstrong stubborn goat of a man but there was also something fragile about him. Over the course of the last twelve hours he’d become more and more agitated only cracking open his fasade when it came to his bag. Was he really so eager to risk so much just for a bag of money? What if she gave him the bag back at the villa?

“What if he tries to slip out the side again?” Ivy anxiously tapped her foot against the ground as she kept a constant watch on the door. Player was keeping an eye on the security system to keep them up to date, but he hadn't said anything yet.

“If he decides to leave then there’s nothing we can do.” Carmen broke eye contact with the clock on the wall. Time always did seem to move slower when she watched it.

“Sure we can. Ivy can grab his legs and I’ll get the top half.” Carmen stifled a laugh at the mental image but decided to speak up.

“Thanks guys but this isn’t up to us.” Carmen looked back to the door. He was taking a bit longer than expected. Perhaps Jean slipped out another way already. Injured or not it wasn’t beyond his skillset.

“You think Goat boy thinks I’m a jerk.” Zack sat down looking at the floor. “I didn't mean to sound so pushy?”

“Don't take anything he does personally. He’s a trained agent who probably doesn't want to be tied down again.”

“I don't know Carm. VILE seemed eager to get him back. You saw his bag. That’s a LOT of cash.”

“Things are complicated but whatever happens we’ll figure it out.”

“Look, I'm just saying there's a lack of communication and it's not on our part.” Ivy slouched in her seat as she looked back at the clock. Ivy caught Carmen’s disappointed look out of the corner of her eye.

“I get it, but these things take time. We also didn't meet under the best circumstances.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Ivy huffed as her lower lip jutted out. Carmen felt bad but even she didn't have all the answers. Zack’s foot abruptly stopped tapping as the clock hit the hour mark.

“Urrrrrr-I can’t take it anymore! Ask Player if he slipped out again, please~.”

As if summoned Player’s ringtone played on Ivy’s phone. Both siblings' snapped their focus on Carmen as she looked at the phone message. The siblings were so focused on what was on the phone that they didn’t even notice when the doors to the waiting room swung open.

Carmen shot a smile at Jean who still looked haggard but wasn't scowling like earlier. Behind him was a doctor who was busying himself shuffling Jean’s papers into order.

“Honestly you should report whoever pushed you off the dock. The water is unbearable this time of year.” The doctor lectured Jean the way a parent would almost made Carmen laugh. It made sense that he’d have to lie, his clothes were still soaked when they arrived and he was quickly brought in the back when the staff saw his state. She could only imagine what lie Jean had told to warrant such a response.

The doctor eyed Carmen looking her up and down. He had probably noticed her similar state. Jean interrupted and stepped between the two.

“Thank you but we have it handled.” Jean tapped his nails against his new crutches as the doctor highlighted another part of his papers.

“Are these friends of yours?”

It was meaningless small talk but Jean played it off.

“More like classmates.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth Zack excitedly shot up eager to help with Jean’s cover story.

“Ah yes! Classmates. For the school that we go to.” Ivy nudged her brother to stop but he’d received the whole room's attention. Jean shot Carmen a look of disbelief as she nodded her head in solidarity. The doctor looked the American up and down before letting out a sigh.

“I highly advise against day drinking even if it’s on your break.” The doctor muttered, seeing Zack’s behavior as nothing more than an intoxicated outburst. “Anyway, your paperwork is all here. Stay on your crutches for four weeks and only start stress related work after six.” The doctor closed the file handing it over to Jean. “One more thing, no flying for 48 hours.” Carmen’s smile dropped as all eyes of her ragtag group looked at her.

Jean wouldn’t be able to go with them if they left today and if they didn't leave than Shadowsan would be out of luck.

Jean was the first to speak up.

“Uh? What was that about flying?” Jean questioned. Surely a little plane ride would be a walk in the park after everything he’d been through.

“It’s just a precaution. Your leg is good to heal in its current state but there could have been some small things we've overlooked. If nothing has changed in 48 hours then you should be good to go.”

“Wait what? We have a plane to catch tonight.” Ivy spoke up before noticing the doctor’s attention on her. “Uh it’s just that we’re going back to classes and we need to be ready.”

“I’m sure your professors will understand. If you want I can even write a medical note. Just give me the school’s address and I'll email it to them.”

Ivy turned to Carmen hoping for an answer but she was just as stunned as the rest of them.

“We might need to talk to our school and see what we can do.” Carmen said half heartedly before being cut off by Zack.

“Yes school! Oh the classes we take. At our wonderful-” Ivy slapped her hand over her brother’s mouth.

“Stay in school kids.” With a final farewell the doctor turned around and walked back through the swinging doors. All was quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. Carmen slipped off to the side to answer Players calls as Ivy and Zack rushed Jean.

“So does this mean that you’re staying.” Ivy asked. 

“De toute évidence.” Jean crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. Carmen smiled as the Americans shot her a quizzical look.

“That means yes.” Carmen had front row seats when she saw the realization hit the siblings. Zack pulled his sister’s hand off his mouth revealing his cheesy grin.

“Congratulations! Welcome to the team!” Zack half yelled as he went in for a hug but was met with a crutch keeping him at bay.

“Man you gave us a scare.” Ivy said with a nervous chuckle.

“Yeah we thought you snuck out the side again. I figured they had to re-wrap your leg or something but you were in there for over an hour.” 

Jean let out a sigh placing his crutch back onto the ground.

“I had to have my eyes flushed out. The ocean isn't exactly what you would call a sterile environment.” Jean pulled out a bottle of eye drops from one of the outside pockets of his duffle. With a sigh Jean gave up trying to shove the paperwork in the bag in such a public space. Jean turned his attention to Carmen who had furrowed brow as she typed away at her phone.

“So what's the plan, Carm?” Ivy asked.

“I was thinking about lunch, but first we’ll stop by the house to change clothes.” Carmen bushed some sand off herself to drive the point. The siblings paid her minimal attention as they continued to poke fun at Jean.

“You better not sneak out at the restaurant” Ivy teased. Jean looked like he was seriously debating whether or not to run but instead accepted the annoyance of the siblings. 

“I’m not flaky.” Jean muttered to himself.

“You kinda are.” Ivy poked fun at him as the mood peaked back up.

“Like a croissant.” Zack made the motion of a chef's kiss. “OH! The thought of lunch is driving me nuts. Better make it a double sense we skipped brunch.” Without another word he darted out to pull the car around.

“You already had breakfast you knucklehead!” Ivy halfheartedly chastised. “I’m gonna make sure he doesn't take off without us. You know how he can get when food’s on the mind.” Ivy smiled and booked it to catch up with her sibling leaving Carmen and Jean alone in the lobby.

“I don’t care what the doctor says.” Jean spoke dismissively as he looked back at his papers. “It isn’t worth missing VILE’s drop off.”

“I’m not risking any of my crew and that includes you. If the doctor says you shouldn’t fly for two days then-”

“If I wasn't willing to take risks, do you think I’d be here?” That was a major understatement. He’d taken so many risks in the last 24 hours, she just wanted to give him the break he deserved. Carmen knew his stubbornness would become his weakness if he kept at his current pace.

“Tell you what, we can figure this out after we eat. You know, I’m not one to shy away from risk either.” She held out her hand to shake.

Instead of a handshake or flat out refusal Jean just handed her his paperwork. She couldn't tell if that was a jab or pure exhaustion but she took it anyway. She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as she followed behind him and to the car. Perhaps Zack and Ivy could run out and grab them food as they both tidied up.

  
  


===

  
  


Jean-Paul awoke once again in a familiar but foreign room. He almost thought that the entire day was a dream, but a look at his surroundings was enough to convince him otherwise. Laid out in front of him was the contents of his duffle spread across the bed from his frantic rummaging.

He didn't hold back the moment he entered the privacy of his room. He’d tossed most of the money off to the side as he scrambled to assure his real treasure was safe. Sure enough His greatest treasure was left undisturbed at the bottom of his bag letting relief finally crash over him. Wrapped protectively in a spare hoodie were Antonio’s tunneling gloves.

Jean vaguely remembered taking a shower and laying down just to rest his eyes. He’d only meant to rest his eyes not fall completely asleep.

He made an attempt to sit up only to have some of the hair gel he used to stick to the pillow. One glance down showed that he’d fallen asleep in nothing more than a towel with a death grip on the gloves, leaving an unsightly indentation on his chest. He was glad that no one could see his current state, but it left him wondering just how long he’d been out. 

Why didn’t Carmen wake him? Did they forget about him and leave him behind?

Tossing the towel on the chair he quickly dressed in his only spare clothes shoving everything he could fit back in his duffle. With the help of his crutches he made his way down to the kitchen with his things where he could hear some casual chatter emerging.

“Oi, we were just about to wake you up.” Zack said from his place by the counter. “I can't believe you fell asleep on an empty stomach.” Jean looked at the group in disbelief. The only sign of any packing was the red suitcase by the front door.

“Why haven't you packed yet?” Jean jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The American girl had managed to sneak up behind him holding a bag of food.

“Okay José, are you ready for this vacay.” Ivy attempted to hand him the bag but Jean shrugged her off. With a sigh she placed it on the countertop by Zack, who not so stealthily pulled the bag closer to himself.

Just when he thought this unruly group couldn't get any stranger Carmen approached Jean.

“You’re looking well. Don't worry, you’ll be able to catch up on the rest of your sleep tonight.” Carmen eyed Zack who had already inhaled half of Jean’s lunch leaving the seafood completely untouched. “Uh, don't worry about that. We’ll have Dinner as soon as we get to the airport.”

“So when is our flight leaving?” Jean asked, confused on why all three redheads gave him a guilty look.

“You’re not coming on this one. You guys will be dropping me off at the airport and I’ll meet up with Shadowsan in Canada. You three will stay here for a week and we’ll all meet up for our next caper.” Jean furrowed his brow in a mixture of anger and confusion.

“I only had to stay off a plane for 48hours and even that was just a suggestion.”

“Yeah, a suggestion from a medical professional.” Ivy laughed. “It's not gonna burn a hole in your cash stash, we’re not in the States.”

“I didn't agree to this. Now you expect me to babysit these two?” Jean ignored the smiles of the Americans at his obvious distress. If he knew that he’d be stuck here with those two he doubted that he would have joined. Jean sighed to his own irrational thought. He would have joined regardless. He may not have been in the best mood but he wasn’t going to allow that to distract him from his goal.

“Think of it more as a vacation.” Carmen looked back down at the phone in her hand. “This also gives use a bit of time to replace Ivy’s phone and give you your own.” To say that Jean was dumbfounded would be an understatement, but the three redheads all treated it like it was as mundane as the weather.

“Carmen’s gonna use my phone sense her communicator is fried. I’ll pick up the new phones when Player calls Zack.” Ivy pointed triumphantly at herself.

“Player’s also sending me a new ID. I swear I’ll find the old one before we take off.” Zack muttered between bites.

“Just make sure you don't lose your phone too, knucklehead.”

Jean could catch Carmen giving him a knowing look. Jean paused as he thought back to where he last had it. It wasn't in his pocket when he came back to the villa but he’d also fallen out of a hotel window, taken a dip in the ocean, and left his hoodie in the trunk of the Van. Jean had nothing to say for himself but his shrug didn't seem to ease Carmen’s gaze. With a sigh Jean unzipped his bag.

“How much would it cost to replace?” Jean thumbed through several bills pulling out more than enough. Carmen hadn’t explained how she paid for her missions and he didn't want to start off having his little theft held over his head.

“You don't have to worry about that, I had a hunch is all.” Carmen pushed the presented cash away from herself making it clear that she wasn't taking it. Jean scoffed as he walked past her slapping the money onto the counter.

“Don't say I never paid you back.” Jean huffed as he shuffled away from the American siblings. Instead of complaining Zack shot up in delight.

“OOOOOOOO-Ivy check out this dough! Fresh crisp bills just like in the movies.” Zack enthusiastically held the money up to the light as Ivy gave Jean the side eye.

“Just don't blow it all on snacks and gas.”

“What? You do know that there's more to me than cars and food.” Zack smiled at the group. “I’m gonna buy us all matching shirts.” Ivy groaned as Jean pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Do you really expect me to stay with these two for the next week?” Jean asked Carmen once the sibling started discussing what else they could buy.

“You guys should be able to hold down the fort until then, right?” 

“I really don't see the point in staying behind. I’m not useless.” Jean rubbed his temples feeling a headache creeping up on him. Carmen's smile turned to a concerned look.

“I’m not saying that you're useless. You’re going to be a valuable member of this team, but you’re going to have to learn to work with this crew. This will be a great way for you guys to get to know each other and-”

“We can get to know each other on a mission.” Jean crossed his arms. Carmen stayed quiet for a moment. She couldn't figure out what Jean’s angle was. 

“When you were planning to run away were you going to go right back to hunting down VILE?” 

“Of course not-” Jean stopped as he shot a look at Carmen. He was avoiding something. 

“Then why are you so focused on going back out on missions?” Carmen could almost feel the discomfort radiating off him. Even the Americans seemed to take notice in the shift in tone. Looking around Jean took notice of his audience.

“Forget it. This is fine.” Jean said defective but was cut off when the phone started to ring.

Before Jean could ask what it was everyone stood up and moved to the door. Zack had grabbed the keys and Ivy headed out the door with Carmen’s bags in tow. Jean was once again left stumped as Carmen looked back to him. 

“That's our cue.” She stopped as Jean grabbed his bag to take with them. It was bizarre to have the group lounging one moment and heading out the next but he wasn't unacquainted with it. It reminded him of his fire drill training at school and the evacuation protocol VILE agents had to learn. Judging by the smiling faces of the Americans he figured that this wasn't an emergency. 

“Timing is everything.” Jean muttered to no one in particular. Carmen simply walked past him and opened the van door. 

“It certainly doesn't hurt.” Carmen said with a smile.

Jean silently agreed but made no attempt at continuing the conversation. From his short time with this ragtag group he knew that the siblings would fill the silence with meaningless chatter. Jean settled down in his seat ready for another awkward van ride.

“Don't worry everyone. I'll get us there with time to spare.” Zack revved the engine once everyone was seated.

“Zack this is the countryside not a race track.” Ivy's words were cut off as the gravel shot out from under the tire and the van took off down the road. Jean once again wondered why he’d agreed to stay as the van took off to the airport.

===

The airport was nearly deserted besides the occasional businessmen and the wayward tourists. Needless to say Carmen's mismatched gang would stand out on the security feed. Jean wondered how they could all be so calm in such an open place. Jean had gone as far as falling behind the group just to feel more at ease. Carmen stopped and turned to Jean as the American siblings entered an overpriced tourist store.

“You know you don't have to hide away from us. We're a team now so it's better if we all stick together.” Carmen said as she approached Jean.

“I'm not hiding away. I just need some space from the Americans.” Jean muttered as he took a seat. “I'm not sure if you know but VILE has included a hacker among their ranks.” 

“Imitation is the best form of flattery, but VILE’s hacker can't hold a candle to Player.” Jean rolled his eyes at Carmen’s words.

“Are you talking about that kindergartener.” Jean wasn’t one to beat around the bush and didn’t like the idea of putting his life in the hands of a child.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. Player is one of the best and I trust him with my life.”

“VILE takes their security very seriously. It’s not for children to play.”

“You mean ‘it's not child's play’ and I agree, but Player is a special case.” Jean sighed at Carmen's response not taking what she said seriously. Carmen hummed as she debated telling him or not. Perhaps it would help put him more at ease with the idea. “What if I told you that Player hacked into VILE’s network when he was twelve.” Carmen smirked as Jean’s mouth dropped open for a moment. He quickly caught himself but the smile on Carmens face let him know she caught him. “That's right, all twenty seven layers of encryptions done by a bored tween in a white hat.” Jean knew there was more to the story but reframed from digging. If someone with his skills placed themselves for hire VILE would've scooped him up without hesitation regardless of age.

“So VILE won't see us.” Jean asked, seeming flustered.

“Player already looped the security feed. VILE won't even know we’re here.” Instead of releaf like she expected Jean looked frazzled.

“Your hacker should leak footage of us all at the airport.” Carmen raised a brow but let him continue. “Show us coming in and erase everything once we get to the check in.”

“You want VILE to think we all left the Country? If they see us leaving they might just suspect that I'm meeting up with Shadowsan.” Carmen took note of how Jean’s expression seemed to drop ever so slightly. “Did you want to go on the mission just so VILE would see us together?”

“I just don't want to give VILE any reason to stick around in this area. If they see me with you guys there’d be no reason to keep searching.” Jean’s tone told her more was up. This wasn't about Jean escaping VILE but making them leave. A lightbulb went off in her head.

“Is this about El Topo?” Carmen wondered if she overstepped but all Jean gave was a tired sigh as he leaned back in his seat.

“Yes and no.” Jean was quiet for a moment before continuing. “You’re lucky that VILE didn't know about your contact with Gram. They have no reason to keep an eye on him, but if VILE finds out that Antonio is here they could assume that I was going to meet up with him.” 

It was a nagging thought in the back of his mind sense he’d learned of Antonio’s whereabouts. Jean hadn't anticipated a VILE operation so close to his dear friend when he went looking, but now that it happened it became more risky to stay.

“When all of this is over I’ll find him.” Jean said it more for himself than for Carmen but she still felt pity for him.

“I don't blame you. I wouldn't want VILE or ACME to stay here longer than necessary.”

Jean furrowed his brow at Carmen’s remark.

“What is your relationship to ACME?” Jean had been wondering about that for a while now. VILE believed that Carmen and ACME were working together but he was beginning to think that it wasn't that simple.

It was Carmen's turn to let out a sigh.

“You probably already know this, but ACME is an organization specifically made to track down VILE. What VILE doesn't know is that ACME’s also interested in tracking me down too.” Carmen leaned back on the terminal’s bench. “They probably want to know where VILE’s hideout is.”

Jean shifted back and forth in his seat knowing what her next question was going to be.

“Before you ask, none of the field operatives know where The hideout is exactly.” Carmen looked at his face trying to see if he was joking but his defeated look told her otherwise. One of Jeans greatest regrets was that he never figured out where the base was located. Just like VILE Isle agents were shipped off where they needed to be. Only a select few were given clearance and Jean wasn't one of them. VILE was lucky that he never knew or he’d sent the police in a heartbeat. Carmen furrowed her brow at the frustrated look that crossed Jean’s face.

“You really don't know where it is?”

“A Castle somewhere in Scotland, but where in Scotland is a mystery. If I knew where they were exactly I would tell you, but if VILE finds out that police are investigating-”

“-They’d bail and we’d be back to square one.” Carmen finished.

“Well, not exactly. VILE took a major hit when they had to move bases but they took another big hit recently. They've even cancelled several of their larger missions.” Jean looked down to his bag smiling at just how much trouble he’d caused on his exit.

“I was wondering why it was so quiet after my mission in Mexico.”

Jean was sure there was a story behind Carmen's words but there were more important things to address.

“Right now VILE is surviving because they’re doing multiple missions at the same time. The idea is that you can't be everywhere at once.”

Carmen was fully aware of that. It was the reason why Shadowson was in Canada instead of with them. Since VILE started running so many capers simultaneously they hadn't been able to meet up physically in what felt like forever.

“It's one of the smartest moves they've made in a while. Most of our free time has been us running around recovering what we can, but we haven't found everything yet.” Carmen and Jean both sat in silence at that reminder.

However there was a bright side to VILE’s new strategy. The missions were on a smaller scale and it didn't take much to send agents scrambling. Jean was able to shut down a few just by calling in the authorities. It helped knowing that the missions had a drastically lower pay rate when all the costs were added up.

“Shouldn't be a problem once I'm back on my feet.” Glancing over to Carmen he noticed a grin on her face.

“Are you getting used to the idea of working together.”

“You obviously need all the help you can get.” Jean glanced over at the Americans in the gift shop.

“Don't underestimate my crew just yet. Zack is the greatest escape driver I've ever met and Ivy has the magic touch.” Jean raised his brow, staring at her wide eyed. Carmen caught her slip-up but Jean was already laughing. It was nice to see him let down his guard but she needed to correct herself. “Wait! That's not what I meant, She’s a brilliant inventor and works on all of my equipment. She’s also the muscles of the operation so don't underestimate her. Of course you’ll learn more about them in the next week.” Carmen smiled as she looked back down to her phone. “And of course our tech genius, Player.”

Jean took in a breath, finally calming himself down. It was nice to see Carmen slipping up for a change. Her relationship to her crew was closer than many friendships Jean had seen and he wondered just how they could get through missions without freaking out at the stunts she pulled.

Jean’s demeanor shifted back into place as he composed himself. He really didn't want to open himself back up to this.

“You know I’m not here for friendship. We just have common goals. Everything else is irrelevant.”

Carmen withered slightly at the remark. It always felt like one step forward and two steps back with him.

“If you’re going to stay with us we’re going to have to learn to work with each other that includes our strengths and weaknesses. That's why you need some time to recover.”

“You can try to sugarcoat it all you want but this still feels like a punishment.” Jean slouched in his seat. The idea of being stuck with the Americans just felt draining.

“Oh no, a punishment would be having Shadowsan room with you for the next week.” Jean gave her the side eye hoping that she was joking.

“...I think I’ll stick with the Americans.”

“Tell you what, I'll let Player leak the footage of us together after I’m in Canada. That way VILE will leave and wont have enough time to call backup. Consider it a welcome to the team gift, just promise me that you’ll try to get to know my team.” Jean took a moment to think it over but mumbled agreement under his breath.

Both of them turned around just in time to see Zack struggling with his shopping bags.

The siblings approached Carmen and Jean with smiles on their face. Ivy shot Jean a smirk as Zack stepped into Jean’s personal bubble.

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?”

“Yeah we could hear you laughing from in the gift shop.” Ivy gleaned as she placed her bags on the seat next to Jean.

“Oh nothing, Just how excited Jean is to spend this time with you guys.” Jean shot Carmen a scathing look as Zack excitedly sat down next to the French man. Zack took no notice of Jean’s revulsion as he showed off what he’d bought.

Jean figured that he could put up with this for the time being until Zack slapped a sticker on one of his crutches.

“That’s for good luck.” Zack said with a smile.

One glance to Carmen told him that he was on his own for whatever shenanigans the Americans had up their sleeves.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take them with you.” Jean asked hopefully. Carmen smirked in return standing up and stretching.

“Nah. It’ll be good for you to spend some quality time with the crew. Now come on, let’s get something to eat.” Looking down at his crutch he noticed the sticker. A goat and a ‘get well soon’ sticker were now plastered on one of his crutches.

Just what had Jean gotten himself into. Without another word or complaint Jean followed the redheads, determined to order several strong drinks.

===

Jean wasn’t a fan of what the Airport considered authentic Spanish cuisine, but was able to finally eat without feeling queasy. For most of the day he couldn't so much as look at food without feeling a knot in his stomach. Now he was feeling hunger pangs from pushing it off for so long.

Luckily for them the service was swift and he was able to keep Zack at bay by ordering a seafood spread. Unlike his meals at VILE where teammates talked strategy the red heads turned their meal time into a quiz on different Spanish facts. He’d never known anyone who was quite as enthusiastic on learning other people's cultures quite like Carmen, but the Americans were more than willing to give it their best shot.

It almost reminded him of his time at VILE’s school back when Carmen was still Blacksheep. She lived up to her codename as she always stuck out in the group in an endearing way. Now Jean was the one stuck on the outside but unlike Blacksheep whose personality was polished bright from ignorance, Jean’s personality was dull and cracked. VILE really did have a way of letting the worst qualities in a person grow. A vile thought crossed his mind that he’d never be the somewhat normal person he was before.

What if he was no longer someone the new Antonio could consider a friend?

Jean had a hard time swallowing the food in his mouth and discreetly spat it into a napkin. The knot in his stomach was back so there was no reason to finish his food.

As he debated excusing himself he was interrupted by another phone alarm. Just as they had earlier the redheads moved back into action, grabbing bags and paying the bill with a generous tip to the bewildered server. Jean was grateful for the interruption and followed the group as they made their way to Carmen’s terminal.

“I’m gonna miss you so much. Make sure to get plenty of sleep on the plane.” Ivy said as she pouted.

“Take names and kick butt. You’ve got this.” Zack added. Carmen sighed and stretched out her arms to the siblings. Jean almost gagged at the sickly sweet gesture. He looked back just in time to see Carmen shooting him a worried look.

“Are you going to be ok?” Carmen asked. Jean tensed up at the question but quickly composed himself once again now that he had all three’s attention.

“If I can survive Paperstar's interpretation of a thousand cuts, then I can survive this.” It would probably go over the American’s heads but he hoped that it would get Carmen off his back.

“We’ll see about that.” Carmen joked back. Jean tried but couldn't make himself smile. Instead he held out his hand offering a handshake or anything that wouldn’t be construed as defiant. Carmen smiled as she firmly grasped his hand.

“Au revoir, Carmen.”

“À bientôt, Jean-Paul.” Carmen released his hand as the last call for her plane went over the intercom. As Carmen walked out of the terminal Jean noticed her hesitation. It probably wasn't an easy decision to leave them behind. Even the Siblings who had been all jokes and playful banter held a somber moment as she disappeared into the tunnel.

Jean and the American siblings watched from the window as Carmen’s plane eventually rolled down the runway and off into the air. Jean stood quietly and for a moment he wondered if he’d done the right thing.

====

“Are you positive there was nothing in the room that could tell you the whereabouts of our traitors?” Maelstrom’s voice was leveled but his ice blue eyes gave anyone under their gaze goosebumps.

Neal took a seat on the edge of the hotel bed as he updated the faculty. Dash made sure to step over the shattered television as he continued scanning the room.

It was unnecessary. Neal and the cleaners had done a sweep of the room not even an hour earlier, but a final walkthrough was highly advised by faculty. It would only be a matter of time before they all had to make their great escape before the police made an appearance.

“I can assure you that there’s nothing here. There wasn't a single thing here that he could’ve limped off with.”

“And you’re sure that he didn't take anything with him.”

“Look, you can ask the Cleaners. There wasn't anything in the room to take.” Neal was cut off as Bellum’s voice overtook the conversation.

“You are taking too long. All of you need to pull out before the police become involved. It makes no sense for him to return if there was nothing there, but we can’t risk our anonymity. We’re contacting the cleaners to start the car, you two better be down there in the next five minutes.” Neal let out an annoyed sigh after hanging up. Neal winced as he tried standing up again.

Dash Chuckled to himself as he recalled Neal’s earlier raving of his ‘brilliant plan’. To be undermined by the cheapest trick in the book was no surprise to Dash, after all there was no honor among thieves. It was even sweeter watching Neal squirm under the Faculty’s judgmental gaze.

Dash was just about to turn and leave when he caught a glimpse of a bulge from under the curtains. Tossing the fabric aside Dash spotted a wallet.

Without a word he opened it up to look over its contents. The money in the wallet was nothing substantial but what caught his attention was the ridiculous smile on the ID. Smiling back at him was the aggravating face of the Duke. Dash crinkled his face in disgust but took note of the significance. Perhaps Carmen Sandeago and her Crew had been using this room after all.

“Did you find anything?” Dash looked back at Neal from where he had crouched down. The thought crossed his mind to not tell him out of pure spite, but he didn't want to answer to the Faculty for disobedience.

“Here.” In the end Dash did what he had to and flung the wallet at him, smacking him in the face.

“OW! Was that necessary?!” Neal’s complaints were cut off by his toothy grin that nearly split his face. “All right, come to daddy!” The signature smirk dropped when he saw the lackluster contents. “What! This is nowhere near the amount he stole.” Dash rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, just send the serial numbers to the faculty and see if it's any of the missing money.” Dash got up to leave the room. “And make sure to send a picture of the ID to The Faculty.”

“Whatever you say, compadré.” Without another complaint Neal stood up and walked to the hallway only to spot Dash already pressing the elevator button to go down. “Hey! You forgot to hold the elevator for me.”

“I didn't forget.” Dash replied as the door to the elevator closed to the sound of the New Zelander’s indignant squawk.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I've read stories the cover the scenario of a mind wipe but only from the POV of the one left behind. I propose a bit of a twist to showcase what would happen to the person after they are mind whipped. All the struggles someone would face re-entering society after missing about two years of your life. Because It hasn't been reviled the entirety of Antonio's background I'm trying to play it safe although a quick glimpse into his past may be present in the next Chapter. Will be continuing on Antonio's side of the story but the view will switch back and forth to include Carman and gang along with Jean-paul's POV. Feel free to add a comment along with suggestion. English isn't my easiest format so if something is wrong please let me know.


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